Galway consumers are fuelling a growing ‘fast tech’ trend with small, often low-cost electronic gadgets frequently discarded after very little use, a new survey conducted for International E-waste Day this week has revealed.
In the 12 months to July of this year, almost half of Irish people (44 per cent ) discarded a fast tech item unused, after a single use or within a month.
Fast Tech includes mini-fans, festive lights and decorations, wireless headphones and speakers, power banks and chargers and electronic toys usually bought on impulse or as a novelty.
Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent ) said the shortest time they used an item before discarding it was six months or less.
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 findings form part of an online consumer survey carried out across 12 European countries, with 1,003 respondents from Ireland.
Conducted by Bellegarde Scientific Consulting for the WEEE Forum, with participation from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE ) Ireland, it showed the number of people buying fast tech in Ireland over the past 12 months was higher than the average across the 12 countries surveyed - nine in 10 versus eight in 10.
Separate research by WEEE Ireland shows that fast tech purchases here last year reached 91 million items, with Galway consumers recycling 10.5kg of electrical waste per person – more than the 9.63kg average in the counties covered by Ireland’s largest e-waste recycling scheme.
“Because they are usually inexpensive, bought on impulse and easy to replace, fast tech products can be treated as if they are disposable,” said Elizabeth O’Reilly, director of environmental compliance and circular economy at WEEE Ireland.
“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.
“People may not even realise that even small novelty products can contain electronic components and materials that should be recovered.”
The WEEE Forum Fast Tech Consumer Study highlights 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. Some 83 per cent said they would be willing to pay more for at least some similar products if they lasted longer.
When 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, and more than one in three said they had binned them. More than one in four hoarded them at home. Respondents could select more than one disposal route.
“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,” said Ms O’Reilly.
“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.
“Ireland has built a strong electrical recycling system over the past 20 years, with consumers, retailers and civic amenity sites all playing a part. We’d ask people to co-operate with us as we work with industry to meet the new challenges posed by growing range of products entering our homes.”
WEEE Ireland encourages people to bring unwanted fast tech to their nearest recycling point. Find a location at www.weeeireland.ie
