Smart Home Sustainability: How Local Control Reduces E-Waste

With the rapid advancements in technology in the last decade, it has become common to upgrade our gadgets every few years. This rapid turnover of electronics is not only a drain on our wallets but also a significant environmental challenge. With the average smartphone lifespan now less than three years, countless devices quickly become obsolete, contributing to a growing mountain of e-waste.

E-waste, short for electronic waste, includes discarded electronic devices and components like computers, smartphones, televisions, and other electronic gadgets that have become obsolete or non-functional, often due to software issues rather than hardware failures.

This article explores how embracing local control in your smart home can help reduce e-waste and protect the environment. By using devices and systems that do not rely on cloud-based services to function, you can enjoy the benefits of smart home technology while minimizing your ecological footprint and saving money.

Understanding E-Waste

E-waste often contains toxic substances like mercury and lead, which can be harmful to the environment and our health if not disposed of properly. According to CNN, the world generated 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, a number expected to rise to 82 million metric tons by 2030. In the same year, only 22.3% of e-waste was collected and recycled, with this rate predicted to drop to 20% by 2030. Additionally, the value of metals embedded in discarded e-waste in 2022 was estimated at $91 billion, including $15 billion worth of gold. However, many countries, including the US, lack comprehensive e-waste policies, and enforcement remains a challenge globally.

Why is E-Waste a Problem?

Improper handling of e-waste can cause severe health impacts and pollution. A large portion of e-waste ends up in landfills, where toxic substances like mercury and lead can leach into the soil and groundwater, contaminating ecosystems and posing health risks to both humans and wildlife.

In informal recycling systems, e-waste is often burned to extract valuable metals. This process releases harmful pollutants such as dioxins, furans, and heavy metals into the air, contributing to air pollution and respiratory health issues.

E-waste contains valuable metals and materials. If these materials aren’t recycled, new raw materials must be extracted. This process is energy-intensive and often involves mining, which can destroy habitats, erode soil, and pollute water.

Moreover, the process of extracting and refining raw materials for electronics can contaminate water sources with chemicals and heavy metals. Similarly, the improper disposal of e-waste can lead to water pollution in nearby water bodies.

Cases of Companies Discontinuing Devices

Several companies have discontinued devices that were still working, leading to unnecessary e-waste. For some of the more known examples, in 2016, Google shut down the servers for the previously acquired Revolv Smart Home Hub, rendering it unusable. In 2020, Wink announced that users had to pay a monthly subscription fee or lose all functionality in their Smart Hub. In 2022, Insteon shut down their services overnight, leaving all Insteon hubs useless. The same year, iHome shut down its iHome app and cloud services, ending support for several of its smart plugs, smart monitor, motion sensor, leak sensor, and door/window sensor.

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What is Local Control in the Smart Home?

Local control in the smart home involves using devices and systems that do not depend on cloud services to function. This approach offers several advantages:

Independence from Internet Connectivity: Your smart home system can continue to function even if there’s an internet outage or cloud services are down, ensuring your home remains secure and automated.

Privacy: Your data is stored locally on your own devices, reducing the risk of sensitive information being sent to third parties and improving overall privacy.

Response Speed: When your automations run on your own network, there is minimal latency between the moment an event triggers an automation and the relevant action activating.

Reliability and Future-Proofing: Local control allows for continued functionality even if the company or servers supporting the cloud services cease to operate.

The last point is the most relevant to the e-waste problem. By storing data and processing tasks locally, your smart home system remains functional even if the company or servers supporting the cloud services cease to operate. You can continue using your devices as long as you get value from them and the hardware is still functioning. This approach extends the lifespan of your smart home devices and reduces the risk of them becoming obsolete and ending up as e-waste.

How to Achieve Local Control

If you’re interested in implementing local control in your smart home, here are some tips to get started:

Select a hub that allows for local control and processing, such as Home Assistant, Hubitat or Homey. These hubs keep all your data and process your automations on their own hardware, ensuring your smart home remains fast, secure, and reliable.

Opt for devices that support local protocols like Zigbee and Z-Wave. These protocols enable devices to communicate directly with each other and the hub without relying on the cloud. While Matter is a more recent protocol that promises local control and cross-compatibility, it is not yet widespread or comprehensive enough.

Look for devices that offer local APIs. These APIs allow developers to build integrations that provide direct communication between the devices and your hub. They can be a bit trickier to identify, but Home Assistant, for example, shows the type of connection it makes with compatible devices on their integration page.

Additional Strategies to Reduce E-Waste

Other than local control, there are a couple more things you can do to reduce e-waste. Before making any purchases for your smart home, take some time to carefully consider your goals and needs. Proper planning of your smart home system can help you make the right purchases from the start and achieve more benefits with fewer devices. You can even use AI for ideas.

Sometimes upgrades are unavoidable. Often, a new device will offer new features that are critical for your smart home requirements. When upgrading devices that still work, consider selling them or gifting them to friends or family members. This extends the useful life of the devices and reduces the likelihood of them ending up as e-waste.

Minimize E-Waste in Your Smart Home

In today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape, embracing local control in your smart home can help reduce e-waste and protect the environment. By using devices and systems that do not rely on cloud services, you can enjoy the benefits of smart home technology for longer while minimizing your ecological footprint and saving money.

Tech giants like Amazon and Google are increasingly removing control from consumers with each software update, often degrading features and the overall user experience. This trend makes local control even more attractive, as it ensures your devices remain functional and valuable for longer.

After reading this article, I hope you will consider using local control ecosystems for your smart home. Also, before making new purchases, carefully evaluate how a company handles its older devices. By taking these steps, you can contribute to reducing e-waste and creating a more sustainable future, while enjoying the benefits and comforts of a smart home.

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