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Is Software Literally Eating the World?

Is Software Literally Eating the World?

5 years ago
Anonymous $Dftgs0JzgE

https://medium.com/@jstanier/is-software-literally-eating-the-world-dc8a30548f69

James StanierBlockedUnblockFollowFollowingMar 21A Google data center in Iowa. Picture courtesy of Google.Recently it was revealed that Coca Cola produces 3m tonnes of plastic packaging a year, which is equivalent to 200,000 bottles a minute. This revelation was part of a global commitment led by the New Plastics Economy to raise awareness of the sheer scale of single-use waste that we are creating.

After decades of relentless production of materials that end up in landfills, we are beginning to take notice of our waste problem. This spans from large corporations to individuals in their homes: in 2017 the recycling rate for UK households was 45.7%. There is an EU target for the UK to recycle at least 50% of household waste by 2020. When I was a child, there was no recycling collection at all.