Irish consumers are fuelling a “fast tech” trend of low-cost, small electronic items, leading to a mountain of discarded electrical goods, known e-waste, data has revealed.
In the 12 months to last July, almost half of Irish people (44 per cent) discarded a fast-tech item – usually bought on impulse or as a novelty – unused, after a single use or within a month.
A third had thrown at least one item in a bin and a quarter kept them at home, with fewer than half using a recycling centre.
The major European online study, conducted in July, found that nearly nine in 10 Irish consumers purchased fast-tech electronics such as mini fans, festive lights and decorations, wireless headphones and speakers, and power banks and chargers in the previous 12 months.
“Because they are usually inexpensive, bought on impulse and easy to replace, fast-tech products can be treated as if they are disposable,” Elizabeth O’Reilly, of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland, said.
“One product improperly discarded may seem insignificant, but when that behaviour is repeated across millions of purchases, these gadgets can become a growing waste problem.”
The findings, for the international WEEE Forum, form part of a consumer survey carried out for International E-waste Day on Wednesday across 12 European countries, including Ireland.
It also showed that the number of people buying fast tech in Ireland is higher than the average across the 12 nations – 89 per cent versus 78 per cent.
Separate research by WEEE Ireland showed that fast-tech purchases last year reached 91 million items.
The bigger study, meanwhile, highlighted the low quality of fast-tech products and points to an appetite for longer-lasting alternatives.
Among the 776 respondents in Ireland who answered why they had stopped using these products, 52 per cent cited breakage or a defect, while 83 per cent said they would be willing to pay more for at least some similar products if they lasted longer.
Asked what they had done with unused devices, fewer than half brought at least one item to a recycling centre or in-store recycling point, more than one in three said they had binned them and more than one in four hoarded them at home.
“People may not even realise that even small novelty products can contain electronic components and materials that should be recovered,” O’Reilly said.
“We’re urging people to treat these items as they would any other electrical product. If it can be repaired or reused, that can extend its life.
“When it reaches the end of its life, it should be recycled through the free take-back options at participating retailers and civic amenity sites, so its materials can be recovered for use again as part of the circular economy.
“Many of these products also contain lithium batteries that, if discarded in household bins, can be damaged during waste processing, leading to fires in bin trucks or at recycling centres.”
WEEE Ireland encourages people to bring unwanted fast tech to their nearest recycling point. – Press Association