Five ways business can fix e-waste

Did you do anything to mark International E-Waste Day in October? Perhaps you celebrated by making some bunting out of all those unused cables, or played a game of ‘match the plug to the device’ with that bag of old tech you can’t bring yourself to deal with.

It’s likely you weren’t short of options: according to research from Material Focus , there are 880 million unused electricals in UK homes, with each of our households stockpiling 30 items we don’t use – each one containing valuable materials for our future economy such as lithium and gold.

The situation is especially bleak in the UK, where we’re on track to produce the most electronic waste per capita next year. Something, as they say, has to be done. But what?

New research into Gen Z’s relationship to tech from Hubbub and Virgin Media O2 , supported by independent think tank Green Alliance , holds some clues. Gen Z – people aged 16-26 – are particularly willing to do the right thing. But they need government and business to help them.

So, here’s a five-point plan addressing the problems we citizens face dealing with our tech and the mountains of waste it creates, and how business and government can address it.

1. Build trust

People won’t do the right thing with their tech if they don’t believe that businesses are playing their part. Almost half of young people are unsure or don’t believe that their donated electricals will actually get recycled.

Joined-up communications from manufacturers, retailers, government and local authorities should be the foundation: using consistent, easy to understand language that will help increase awareness of the issues and solutions. Industry also need to do much more to prove the value of recycling anything that can’t be repaired, and build trust in the industry. Influencer trips to a recycling plant, anyone?

2. Design for longevity

When did we become accustomed to our tech dying after a couple of years? How is that possibly OK? Poor battery life and unreliability are the enemies of responsible behaviour. Our research suggests cynicism among Gen Z that the devices they buy are “built to fail”, while 70% of them would pay more for a phone that lasted longer.

Government has a big role to play here: mandating longer warranties, defining which repairs should be included and how long software updates should be provided. As well an improving consumer rights, a campaign to promote better care habits for frequently replaced items such as phones could slow down the cycle of premature upgrades, too.

3. Ensure repairability

A lot of electronics have become so cheap that many of us have got out of the habit of repairing broken electronics. Who hasn’t been told that it would be cheaper just to chuck it and get a new one? Young people complain, with some justification, that when it comes to their phones, they’re put off by the cost and difficulty of repair.

While a new movement of repair cafés is spreading around the country, this is one of the areas the government could step in and make the most difference. Legislation establishing a ‘right to repair’ could include universal access to affordable spare parts, repair manuals and diagnostic tools, and ensure that repairs could be carried out by independent repairers or product owners, not just the manufacturers. France already has repairability scores on electronics, and are bringing in durability ones next. We have energy labels already in the UK, so why not repairability too? And to help people know what to do with their broken electronics, we could introduce digital produce passports, following the EU, which plans to introduce them in 2026. Finally, the cost barrier could be brought down by reducing or eliminating VAT on labour and parts for repairs, as well as for refurbished goods. This would be one of the best ways to stimulate demand for the circular economy. Might we have a government bold enough to do it one day?

4. Inspire people to share

Do you have a spare phone in a drawer at home somewhere? Millions of us do (and members of Gen Z have an average of two!). There’s so much value untapped in our homes and workplaces. Manufacturers and retailers can make it both easy and desirable for people to pass on old tech. Currys do a great job of this already, incentivising customers to recycle old tech and signposting drop off points. And for working tech, companies can highlight redistribution schemes or even build a refurbished tech proposition to help people monetise their devices.

5. Promote recycling

Items that are broken beyond repair, or those no longer supported by software or security updates, should be passed on for recycling. But it’s easier said than done. Polling shows that despite often good intentions, two in five members of Gen Z have put a phone in their mixed recycling bin at home (another two in five have chucked it in the rubbish bin). The answer is a mixture of education (to help people understand what to do with their electronics in the first place) and better infrastructure and incentives. Many people aren’t going to make a special trip to the recycling centre for their old tech, and aren’t aware of the other options, such as at the stores they bought their goods from. Material Focus, the leading NGO in this space, already run a ‘Recycle Your Electricals’ campaign which focuses on both awareness of the issue and the places people can drop their items. How could this work reach a much wider audience?

Like most complex issues, there’s no silver bullet to fast-growing issue of electronic waste. But taken together, the five steps above would reduce the volume of broken or defunct goods, boost the circular economy and keep more precious materials in circulation, for longer – while also building the confidence and agency of citizens to make a difference.

P.S. I'm Alex Robinson , CEO of environmental charity Hubbub. We bring business, government and civil society together to create campaigns that make it easier and more possible for all of us to make choices that are good for the environment. Follow me to find out how, or get in touch for more.

This article originally appeared in BusinessGreen . Subscribe for the best news and opinion for sustainability professionals!