Nikkei Net reports that NEC will soon begin to produce notebook computers which use biodegradable plastics in their frames. "The plastic is made from materials derived from plants such as corn and is broken down into water and carbon dioxide by microbes. NEC says it aims by 2010 to make more than 10% of the plastic it uses in PCs biodegradable" The rest of the information is only available to Nikkei subscribers, although a search on the NEC site comes up with a short article from earlier this year about corn-based bioplastics.
The next time a laptop dies, I want to pull the guts out and toss the rest on the compost heap...
Posted by: Alex Steffen on September 14, 2004 2:36 PM
Now, see, I want to be able to dump the whole thing into my fabber to be used as raw material for my next laptop...
...but this is a good start, I suppose.
Posted by: Jamais Cascio on September 14, 2004 3:05 PM
It would be even better if they made laptops fully modular, like desktops. That way, you could keep a durable case and swap out all the biodegradable/recyclable components. Still this is encouraging to see.
Posted by: Mr. Farlops on September 15, 2004 11:37 PM
Here's a link to E.S. Steven's Green Plastics website, based on his book. The site has a simple formula for making your very own biodegradable plastic!
worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving.
