While the internet of things has the potential to help reduce global GHG emissions and increase supply chain efficiency, the thousands of sensors and smart devices — once they reach end of life — may come at a steep environmental cost, says a Computer World article.
Bettina Tratz-Ryan, research VP and green IT specialist with Gartner, tells the publication that this is a chief concern with the growth of the internet of things.
“Gartner has forecast that by 2020 we will have 26 billion items deployed in the world; what happens to these sensors, once they go into the waste bin?" Tratz-Ryan asks.
"Are they ending up in landfills? If they’re embedded in these objects and technologies, it’s almost impossible to recycle them."
Photo Credit: electronic waste via Shutterstock
