Approximately 500 million small technological items discarded.

Material Focus research has revealed that approximately 500 million small electrical items, including cables, lights, mini fans, and disposable vapes, were discarded in the previous year.

It is stated that these items called “Fast Tech,” which can be considered as the electronic equivalent of fast fashion, are the e-waste type experiencing the most rapid growth.

According to the research, the typical household also possesses thirty electrical items that are not being used and are simply accumulating dust.

All of these objects possess valuable resources and are capable of being recycled.

The not-for-profit group Material Focus commissioned a survey of 2000 people from Opinium Research. Based on the responses it calculates that 471m “Fast Tech” items were thrown away in the UK last year, including:

The items are often perceived as disposable due to their average cost of £4, even though they may not necessarily be intended for such use.

All of them possess valuable resources like copper wires and lithium batteries, which can be retrieved through the recycling procedure.

Scott Butler, the Executive Director of Material Focus, stated that individuals may not be aware of the valuable materials present in their electronic devices and may simply dispose of them in the trash. This results in the loss of all the valuable components that could have been recycled to create something new. The aim is to emphasize that any item with a plug, battery, or cable can be recycled and there are nearby locations where this can be done.

According to research from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum, consumers worldwide dispose of approximately 9 billion tons of cables, toys, vapes, novelty clothes, and similar devices annually. These items are often not identified as e-waste by the consumers.

According to Material Focus’s research, the quantity of electronic waste has declined since 2017. This can be attributed to the fact that many electronic devices are now lighter, as well as the increase in recycling rates. Currently, 60% of individuals claim to recycle their electronic items.

However, numerous individuals possess unused electrical devices like cables, mobile phones, and remote controls that are simply gathering dust. This amounts to an average of 30 items per household, all of which could be utilized more effectively.

“I cannot reword”

Material Focus’s survey is based on a survey of 2000 nationally representative adults by Opinium Research, conducted in July for Fast Tech, and August-September for hoarded electricals. The vapes figure comes from a survey of 5,156 adults conducted by Yougov between June and August.

Material Focus is a not for profit organisation devoted to encouraging recycling. It is funded by fees paid by electrical producers when they don’t meet their government recycling targets.