My carbon footprint: just call me a luddite

The e-waste mountain threatens us all. So no, I’m not going to spare the feelings of the playground bullies, says Kate Hughes

If we recycle our e-waste, which is rarely the panacea we desperately believe it to be, we’re only really exporting the problem (EPA-EFE)

I guess it was only a matter of time before one of us got grief for our not-quite-this-week tech. I just wish it had been me and not one of the kids. From another kid.

Don’t you worry, I’ve got plenty to say to their ‘responsible’ adult, but in the meantime the acerbic criticism of one so young has thrown up all sorts of chat about why the kids go to school with – and why we work on – second-hand, refurbished and repaired technology, especially from the seven-year-old, whose teacher now expects her to bring “a device” into class with her. (When did a device stop meaning a natty gadget Q created for 007, anyway?)

Setting aside the obvious question of why today’s kids can’t possibly be taught without the aid of 400 different apps, it’s the first time she’s been exposed to the great tech comparison that will now sadly, but inevitably, last for the rest of her life.