What is the Environmental Cost of Internet of Things?

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