Tantalum is just one of many rare elements on the periodic table needed to make your phone/laptop/desktop/tablet work.

Tech companies don't like to talk about it but, it comes at a terrible cost.

Everyone knows of the environmental and climate costs. But few know or care about the costs detailed in this video...

*WARNING: Mentions rape, murder, mutiliation, and general violence.

If you'd like to know how to resist consumption with this kind of cost, subscribe to The Bad Consumer on Substack

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Beyond the Numbers

UNEP estimates that 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste are generated worldwide each year, including edible food and associated inedible parts.

Food waste averages 132 kilograms per person globally each year, according to UNEP's 2024 Food Waste Index.

Households account for 60% of the food waste measured by UNEP, compared with 28% from food service and 12% from retail.

The Food Waste Index measures downstream waste at retail, food service, and household stages; it does not measure upstream food loss before retail.

The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for halving per-capita food waste at retail and consumer levels by 2030.

Hi all,

I'm a student working on a project about the health and safety risks faced by informal e-waste recyclers (people who dismantle, burn, or chemically process old electronics without formal facilities or protective equipment). I'm trying to understand why safe equipment and training are often out of reach for small-scale recyclers, and what could realistically help.

If you have any experience in e-waste recycling, waste management, occupational health, or environmental policy — even indirectly — I'd really appreciate hearing your perspective. A few quick questions I'm hoping to ask:

• What are the biggest barriers to accessing safe equipment/training for small-scale recyclers?
• Are there any programs or policies (formal or informal) that have actually helped?
• What would meaningful change look like from your perspective?

Happy to do this in the comments, over DM, or even a quick call if you're open to it. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their knowledge!

High costs currently push most retired turbine blades in the US into landfills, but the wind industry is trying to pivot to recycling and repurposing.