For people who always want the newest technology, the old models usually get chucked out as soon as the next big thing comes along. In an effort to reduce e-waste and generally make using computers more awesome, Hong Kong-based company Gowin Technology created a device that turns standard computer screens into touchscreens.

The Zmartframe Touch PC fits over an existing monitor and is attached via straps around the back. It works with 19″, 22″, or 24″ Windows monitors, connecting via USB and calibrating with a Windows-based program that has users touch certain spots on the screen. The device has an impressive response time of 8 ms so there’s no maddening delay when you type or tap using the device’s two-point touch system.

Although it is designed to work on Windows systems, the Zmartframe Touch PC also comes equipped with an Android Mode. When set to Android Mode, plugged into a power source, and connected via HDMI, the monitor becomes a standalone Android tablet – albeit a very large, not-so-portable one.

We love the idea of reducing e-waste, but we aren’t sure just how large a market the product will have. There aren’t too many folks still using desktop PCs, and those who do aren’t likely to be so eager to hold onto them that they’ll spend $130-$300 (some of the funding levels on the product’s IndieGoGo campaign) to hold onto them. Still, the Zmartframe Touch PC is a pretty cool idea that could make usable computers out of the old LCD and LED monitors you might have lying around.

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Most 3D printers – even the low-end ones – still cost thousands of dollars. What the rest of the world has still to master (i.e., making these futuristic machines affordable enough for everyone), one West African inventor did on his own for a mere $100. Kodjo Afate Gnikou, who lives in Togo, scrabbled together the needed parts mostly from e-waste.

E-waste is a global problem that is only getting worse as people around the world discard their “old” gadgets for the brand new shiny ones – and as poorly-made or low life expectancy machines stop working. To keep these potentially harmful materials out of landfills while empowering Africans with the latest technology, Gnikou dug through a junkyard and found discarded but usable tech materials.

The W.Afate project is supported by WoeLab, a group of hardware hackers in the city of Lomé. The project is also a part of FacLab-France, a group that wants to make essential machines from recycled e-waste in preparation for missions to Mars. 3D printers can be a vital part of future space missions, so the W.Afate project could end up taking e-waste to the red planet, but in the most benevolent way possible.

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Electronic waste is a huge problem that will only continue to grow as our lives increasingly rely on little electronic gadgets – but there is a simple way for you to both cut down on e-waste and do another good deed at the same time. Pass IT On For Good is a new system that will help you get rid of your old computers without generating any waste by passing them on.

One of the top concerns of people who want to donate their old computers is whether their personal data will be secure. Pass IT On For Good gives you a USB card that you insert into your computer. The card features proprietary software that will assess your computer’s condition. If it’s suitable for donation, the card will wipe all of your personal information and install a new operating system and educational software appropriate to the location the machine is bound for.

If your computer is found to be too old or otherwise unusable, the software will simply wipe the computer entirely, removing everything from the hard drive and getting it ready to recycle. The group gives you guidance on where to take the machine for recycling, and they’ll even send you a certificate of erasure certifying that all of your personal info has been destroyed.

When you purchase a Pass IT On For Good card, it is good for several uses. You can wipe your old computer, then pass the card on to a friend. The system keeps track of the impact you’ve had on the environment by displaying how many computers you’ve repurposed, how many people benefited from them, and how many resources were saved when new computers didn’t have to be manufactured.

The post Computer Recycling Scheme is Filling Minds, Not Landfills first appeared on Gajitz.

At one time, kitchen appliances that were no longer in good working order were taken to a repair shop – and those that no longer matched the decorating scheme of the rest of the room were simply used anyway or given to someone who needed them. Today, many of our small appliances end up in the landfill when they are no longer wanted, which creates a huge environmental problem. French designer Gaspard Tiné-Berès is using environmentally-friendly cork along with discarded appliances to create a line of sustainable appliances. He calls his project Short Circuit.

Tiné-Berès was inspired by Bright Sparks, an initiative of the UK’s Islington Council which seeks to resell or repair appliances rather than send them to a landfill. The appliances which are beyond help go to Tiné-Berès, who uses their still-working components to create new objects, along with bodies made of natural cork, factory seconds and reclaimed materials.

Tiné-Berès proposes to use landfills and appliance dump sites as new sources of perfectly usable electronic components. Even when the cases of such items are destroyed, the interior components are usually still in working order or easily repaired. The initiative could become a viable and successful business model, creating new jobs and new skill sets for workers. Overall, his plan could benefit not only local areas but the entire planet by diverting hazardous electronic waste from landfills.

So far, Tiné-Berès has created a coffee maker, an electric kettle and a toaster. He plans to create even more appliances and eventually to offer them for purchase through a business he calls RE-DO Studio. He is working closely with Bright Sparks to move toward their joint goal of sustainable living.

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Electronic waste takes up massive amounts of space in the world’s landfills – and a lot of it is not actually broken, just obsolete. But even worse, in many parts of the world low-income children and adults risk their health to dig through the e-waste, looking for reusable and recyclable components. Dhairaya Dand saw this sad state of affairs in Cambodia and decided to do something about it. He came up with ThinkerToys as a way to make use of obsolete technology while providing fun, educational toys to disadvantaged children.

Dand’s vision is to use off-the-shelf components to create small, open-source games that plug into some piece of e-waste such as an old keyboard, mouse, headphones or monitor. The old, discarded technology works with the new, low-cost technology to create an entire play system. The game modules will be produced at under $5 each and provided to children in developing nations at no cost. The entire effort will be supported by selling the same modules in developed nations.

So far, four game module prototypes have been developed. Keyano turns a regular computer keyboard into a musical keyboard. RandoMath also connects to a keyboard and features a tiny screen on which kids can answer random math problems. Storynory uses a discarded set of headphones or an old speaker to play stories for kids in their local language. Finally, TV++ connects to an old CRT monitor or TV and a mouse or keyboard to let kids draw, play educational games and practice spelling.

The plug-and-play devices are unique in that they use both old and new components to bring fun, cost-free educational toys to the children who need them the most. They will not only provide a valuable educational service to children; they will also help to keep e-waste (and its assorted toxins) out of landfills.

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