[ad_1]
Concerns about personal data are preventing one in five adults from recycling unused tech items, according to a new study.
The WEEE Ireland survey on recycling shows that 22% more people keep their old tech items as a backup.
Figures released by WEEE Ireland for the past three years show that for every 10 new tech products sold in Ireland, only four are end-of-life and eventually recycled.
This means that the return rate from 2020 has now reached 40%, which is below the national e-waste target of 65%.
An average of six million pieces of technology were sold in Ireland over the past three years, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, printers, cables and chargers.
Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland, urged consumers to ditch their old and damaged technology and accessories.
“There are millions of appliances in Irish homes that could be recycled and put to good use,” Mr Donovan said.
“Most phone and laptop manufacturers have user-friendly instructions on their websites for backing up and erasing data so that important data is not lost or exposed,” he added.
An Empathy Research online survey conducted on behalf of WEEE Ireland found that 12% of people still put small electronic waste items in general household bins.
“If recycled correctly, these old and broken devices, along with integrated batteries, chargers and cables, provide a vital and strategic source of secondary raw materials,” Mr Donovan said.
Since 2005, more than 200 million electrical items have been diverted from landfill by WEEE Ireland through the local authority’s network of civic utility stations, electrical retailers and crowdfunding events.
[ad_2]
Source link
