Material Focus's research revealed that close to half a billion little electric items, including wires, lights, small fans and throwaway e-cigarettes, were discarded in the preceding year.
Fast Tech items, an electrical version of "fast fashion," are the most rapidly increasing kind of e-waste, according to the source.
On average, thirty electrical items can be found gathering dust in the home, according to the research.
These items possess valuable raw materials and can be recycled.
Material Focus, a non-profit organization, had Opinium Research survey 2000 people. The poll results suggested that the UK disposed of 471 million pieces of "Fast Tech" last year, such as:
The price tag of £4 on these items tends to lead people to perceive them as disposable, though that is not necessarily their intended purpose.
All of them are rich in reusable materials like copper wires and lithium batteries that can be extracted via the recycling process.
Scott Butler, the Executive Director of Material Focus, highlighted that there is unawareness amongst people regarding the valuable materials found in items with a plug, battery or cable, and due to this they often end up in the bin instead of being recycled into something new. He emphasised that it's easy to locate a recycling centre near you to recycle these items.
It has been observed globally that consumers discard around 9 billion tons of various items each year, including electric cables, toys, vaping systems, and novelty clothing, without realising that these are all considered e-waste, according to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum.
Material Focus' studies indicate a reduction in electrical waste since 2017. Contributory factors for this could be the rise in recycling rates and the fact that electrical items now tend to be more lightweight. Poll results reveal that 60% of people recycle their electricals.
However, lots of folks also have unloved electric objects, such as cords, cell phones, and remotes, that are gathering dust - an estimated 30 things for each household - when all these can be used for a better purpose.
Nadiya Catel-Arutyunova, Sustainability Advisor for the British Retail Consortium, declared: "Retailers selling electrical items, be it on the web or in a physical shop, are obliged to assist customers getting rid of their old electrical products - not taking into account the location it was bought from."
The survey conducted by Material Focus was based on a poll of 2000 adults nationwide, which was done by Opinium Research during July for Fast Tech, and between August and September for hoarded electricals. Additionally, the vapes figure was sourced from a survey of 5,156 adults by Yougov from June to August.
Material Focus is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting recycling. It is financed by fees charged to electrical manufacturers when they fail to adhere to their governmental recycling targets.
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