Old laptops, phones being dumped – even though they’re still working
HOUSEHOLDERS are hoarding a mountain of unused laptops, smartphones and other personal devices when many are in working order or need just minor repairs to enable their reuse.
Researchers are concerned the abandoned items will eventually be dumped in landfill or, at best, partly recycled, adding to the growing problem of waste.
A pilot collection project found almost one third of the unused items people were encouraged to part with worked fine or were easily fixable.
The TriREUSE project was run by Dr Damian Coughlan and Dr Colin Fitzpatrick of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at University of Limerick.
They set up 10 collection events over a period of a year, specifically targeting unused laptops, tablets and smartphones.
These devices are subject to what they called the ‘closet effect’ in that they can be closeted away for years because of sentimental reasons, concerns about data privacy, the belief they are too valuable to give away or the effort required to find them a new home.
The result is they often become obsolete without having been used to their full potential by their original owner or a potential secondhand buyer or charity user. They also often end up eventually being thrown out in general waste or sent for recycling, but with limited scope for reusing the components.
“Electronics take a huge amount of energy to manufacture so only using a device for a short portion of its usable life is very inefficient,” said Dr Fitzpatrick.
“Electronics also contain a large number of critical raw materials, including rare earth elements which currently don’t emerge from the standard recycling systems so are lost for use.”
Reusing them would not only reduce waste but could help bridge the digital divide by reselling them to buyers on low budgets.
But he said a new collection system would have to be set up as standard collection points offered at recycling centres and electrical shops under the WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) scheme were aimed at recycling and did not protect items against damage.
Dr Fitzpatrick also said offering a free data-wiping service with certification on completion would encourage more people to pass on their devices while they were still usable.
The TriREUSE collections took place before the Covid restrictions in public places and at large workplaces in six counties.
But Dr Fitzpatrick said there was plenty of scope for other collection arrangements, including potentially partnering with charity shops or involving parcel companies.