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AirPods being a technological marvel does not negate the fact that its disposable nature is a pretty big problem. As far as I am concerned, if the environmental

AirPods being a technological marvel does not negate the fact that its disposable nature is a pretty big problem. As far as I am concerned, if the environmental cost of the existence of a product is not factored in to its design, it should not exist. This may be a bit of a stretch, but on the same token, K-Cups being super convenient does not negative the fact that they are an ecological nightmare.

_bxg1 8y ago
What I'm saying is there's probably no reasonable way, given the current state of the art, to create an equivalent product in a more repairable form. The comparison to k-cups seems overblown, as a person throws away a couple of those a day, whereas AirPods are quality devices (of a similar size) that will last years at the minimum.
- _bxg1 8y ago
  iFixit rightly makes noise about the pointless unrepairability of some other Apple devices, but this one just feels like they're reaching.
maxerickson 8y ago
Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds a gallon. It's made from the same stuff as plastic. Landfills aren't perfect, but they aren't an ecological nightmare and there's lots of room for them outside of places like New York City.
- TaylorAlexander 8y ago
  Landfills absolutely are an ecological nightmare in some parts of the world, and much of it is trash that was shipped in from elsewhere. That your local landfill doesn’t bother you does not mean your trash won’t end up leaching toxic chemicals in to the waterways of people in some far off land.
  - maxerickson 8y ago
    I don't put toxic chemicals in my trash though, so there's that.
    - DanBC 8y ago
      You absolutely do though, that's the point. You think that the e-waste you sent to recycling doesn't end up in trash, but you only have to look at places like Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana to see where some supposedly reputable recycling ends up.
  - libraryatnight 8y ago
    It'll likely become more of an issue for people numb to the point as these places refuse more and more of our refuse.
usaphp 8y ago
K-cups are created to be thrown away after one use. AirPods are not.
greedo 8y ago
It is a stretch. Millions of K-Cups are intentionally disposed of daily. I doubt that more than 100 AirPods are disposed of daily, probably closer to 10-20. That will naturally accelerate as they get towards their end of life, but the comparison is ridiculous.
- iambateman 8y ago
  If 10 million airpod units had an average lifespan of 5 years, they would be disposed at a rate of 5480/day. There’s no question that K-cups are a bigger ecological problem, though.
PascLeRasc 8y ago
K-cups are absolutely awful for the environment – I'd argue much much worse than Airpods/consumer electronics. Keurig's entire business is built off of throwing plastic away. They even take measures [1] to make sure you can't re-use their pods. And it's not like throwing plastic away is a "necessary evil" of making coffee - no other mainstream method (drip, aeropress, pourover, moka pot, french press) produces waste that isn't compostable. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/3/5465578/keurig-locking-down-coffee-makers-to-block-cheap-refills https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/3/5465578/keurig-locking-dow...

_bxg1 8y ago

What I'm saying is there's probably no reasonable way, given the current state of the art, to create an equivalent product in a more repairable form. The comparison to k-cups seems overblown, as a person throws away a couple of those a day, whereas AirPods are quality devices (of a similar size) that will last years at the minimum.

_bxg1 8y ago
iFixit rightly makes noise about the pointless unrepairability of some other Apple devices, but this one just feels like they're reaching.

maxerickson 8y ago

Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds a gallon. It's made from the same stuff as plastic. Landfills aren't perfect, but they aren't an ecological nightmare and there's lots of room for them outside of places like New York City.

TaylorAlexander 8y ago
Landfills absolutely are an ecological nightmare in some parts of the world, and much of it is trash that was shipped in from elsewhere. That your local landfill doesn’t bother you does not mean your trash won’t end up leaching toxic chemicals in to the waterways of people in some far off land.
- maxerickson 8y ago
  I don't put toxic chemicals in my trash though, so there's that.
  - DanBC 8y ago
    You absolutely do though, that's the point. You think that the e-waste you sent to recycling doesn't end up in trash, but you only have to look at places like Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana to see where some supposedly reputable recycling ends up.
- libraryatnight 8y ago
  It'll likely become more of an issue for people numb to the point as these places refuse more and more of our refuse.

usaphp 8y ago

K-cups are created to be thrown away after one use. AirPods are not.

greedo 8y ago

It is a stretch. Millions of K-Cups are intentionally disposed of daily. I doubt that more than 100 AirPods are disposed of daily, probably closer to 10-20. That will naturally accelerate as they get towards their end of life, but the comparison is ridiculous.

iambateman 8y ago
If 10 million airpod units had an average lifespan of 5 years, they would be disposed at a rate of 5480/day. There’s no question that K-cups are a bigger ecological problem, though.

PascLeRasc 8y ago

K-cups are absolutely awful for the environment – I'd argue much much worse than Airpods/consumer electronics. Keurig's entire business is built off of throwing plastic away. They even take measures [1] to make sure you can't re-use their pods. And it's not like throwing plastic away is a "necessary evil" of making coffee - no other mainstream method (drip, aeropress, pourover, moka pot, french press) produces waste that isn't compostable. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/3/5465578/keurig-locking-down-coffee-makers-to-block-cheap-refills https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/3/5465578/keurig-locking-dow...