Technology keeps improving more quickly, making devices better with every release. Consumers want their hands on the newest model. But what happens to the past devices when they are discarded for the next big thing? This very question was raised in 2008 by the 60 minutes reporting team. They began at an electronic recycling drop in Colorado, run by Executive Recycling, where they identified a shipping container filled with old computer monitors and  cell phones.

The CEO of Executive Recycling claimed that all the collected materials were dismantled and disposed of in an environmentally friendly way, all within the US. When they tracked the container, they discovered it was shipped to China and dumped into a mountain of other electronic waste in the gang-ridden village of Guiyu. In this city, destructive chemicals run in the water and high levels of cancer causing dioxins permeate the air. This kind of shipment of toxic materials is strictly against both Chinese and US law. When approached, the aggressive CEO Brandon Richter refused to comment. He was later put on trial in December 2012, fined for restitution, and ended up serving a jail sentence.                                                                                                                                                                                                             With the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus coming out, this will mean that the 100 million cell phones thrown out a year will likely be increasing. So if there is so much e-waste finding its way to distant shores, how can it be avoided? Both Hennepin county and Best Buy provide nation-wide drop-off services where you can dispose of your outdated devices. While both of these free options seem trustworthy, there are no details of the process included in the descriptions of the services.

The intention of most modern-day technology is to reduce the amount of paper waste being produced, but the question still remains: what about the technological waste we produce in creating devices? The mountains of old devices in Guiyu and the abused hands of workers warn enough of the physical destruction this kind of disassembly can bring. However, this story also serves as a warning that, unlike the iPhone 6, environmental guidelines are not flexible.