In an exploding digital economy it’s easy to forget that upgrading to the latest and greatest has an environmental cost. What happened to all those old Motorola Razor phones when the iPhone was launched? Where did your old TV go when you upgraded to flat screen? Consumer electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is one of the fastest growing problems facing our planet.

“In some countries, the amount of e-waste being produced – including mobile phones and computers – could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade, and growth on such a scale will create intractable problems for people’s health and the environment as waste, much of it containing toxic material, decays.” writes Daniel Christopher Jones in a article from Busmanagementme.com.

We have a big problem on our hands! Technology isn’t going away, and needs to be upgraded regularly. We can’t just bury our old cell phones in the dirt and hope for the best. There has to be a better way.

How can this be monetized? If a lucrative business can be set up around the recycling of electronic goods, then a sustainable “food chain” of consumer electronics can be established. Someone in the world may be able to generate massive value, and solve a major problem simultaneously. Computer and electronics companies typically have basic recycling programs associated with their products, however most gadgets fall through the cracks in the infrastructure, often ending up in landfills. Even so called environmentally conscious companies, like Apple with Al Gore on it’s board of directors, come up short [read Wired magazine’s article Recycling: Not Apple’s Core Value]. By making minor changes in the infrastructure, some genius entrepreneur could make a major impact on this growing problem.