It says a lot about the relative wealth in America when we can afford to throw away millions of dollars worth of precious metals because it is easier to toss a phone away than drop it off at a recycling center. In an incredibly short matter of years, cell phones have transformed the continent of Africa and the way that they communicate with each other. Rural communities, once isolated, have become global citizens, and the stabilizing effects in a region traditionally kept in perpetual strife thanks to greedy western corporations and meddling nations are palpable.
Techfortrade, and their technical director Matthew Rogge, believe that the same transformative effects can be achieved by bringing low cost, 3D printing technology to poor and developing communities. By introducing 3D printing to these communities, it opens up the possibility of attainable and low cost localized manufacturing. To that end they have developed Retr3d, a program that can help transform thousands of tons of e-waste, destined to be sent to a landfill, into cheap 3D printing equipment. Not only can this recycled technology be built and maintained at a local level, but by using locally sourced material first it prevents these new economies from wasting precious materials from their own backyards. Precious materials that very well could be the line between success and failure.
Projects like Retr3d are the reason that open source software and hardware movements are so important. Maintaining products that are as open sourced as possible have proven, time and time again, that open sharing makes technology accessible to more people and encourages innovation all across the board. The ability to transform readily available e-waste into functional technology that can create jobs and security, as well as spur industrial growth in developing economies, will bring all of us closer to a more equitable and fair world community.
You can find out more about the non-profit Techfortrade on their website, and you can download Retr3d and read more about how it works over on Wevolver. Let us know what you think of this exciting program over on our Turning E-Waste into 3D Printers with Retr3d forum at 3DPB.com.