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Sustainability Week 2026
This article is a part of a collection of sustainability-themed articles we’re working to watch Earth Day 2026 and promote extra sustainable practices. Check out all of our Sustainability Week 2026 content material.
I’ve by no means felt the necessity to personal the newest tech. In reality, I used to be nonetheless utilizing an iPhone 7 after I joined TechRadar in 2023, as a result of I by no means actually purchased into the improve cycle (actually, you in all probability don’t want a brand new telephone each one to 2 years).
That modified shortly (perks of the job), however my basic method hasn’t. I nonetheless attempt to maintain my private tech to a minimal — properly, as a lot as that’s potential once you write about devices for a residing. Admittedly, my thought of ‘minimal’ in all probability isn’t the identical as most individuals’s, although, so a little bit of context helps.
Looking on the UN Trade and Development information (referenced by Staista), the typical individual owned 9.4 units in Western Europe and 13 within the US in 2023. Those figures have seemingly climbed since then, however even a conservative estimate would put them nearer to 11 and 16 at present, respectively.
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That makes me really feel a complete lot higher about myself as a result of my present tally of tech (not together with equipment like a MagSafe charger and transportable mouse) is 17. That consists of bigger tech home equipment like my robovac and occasional machine, however not units I take advantage of that aren’t technically mine, like my work MacBook Pro 16-inch and associate’s Xbox Series X.
Tallying my unused tech that I maintain considering I’ll use once more
On high of that, I’ve additionally received a rising pile of devices tucked away in drawers and cabinets. From a thrifted Cambridge Audio amp and audio system to my trusty Canon DSLR (which I refuse to part with), this collection has quietly built up over the 12 years I’ve lived in London.
Not counting my old Nintendo 64 and iPod Classic stored back home, I found 11 unused gadgets, which roughly equate to a new device almost every year. That’s actually right in line with a survey by musicMagpie, which discovered UK households have as much as 11 unused units mendacity round.
And sure, I did use all of them in some unspecified time in the future. There was the temporary part after I thought I’d develop into a journey vlogger and acquired a DJI Osmo Plus, and the part after I bought the Instax Mini Link 2 to save cash on photograph prints. Like most tech, they made sense on the time, however have since been deserted.
For no matter cause, whether or not it’s a brand new regulation that restricts drones weighing over 250g or just a much-needed improve, I’ve abandoned these once-loved devices — and I do know I’m not alone. MPB, a web-based market for used digital camera gear, found that there’s more than £1 trillion worth of unused tech in UK, EU, and US houses.
All the methods I thought of responsibly eliminating my unused tech
Armed with my field of devices to go, I set about wanting into the very best methods to lastly eliminate my overload of drugs that I’d been hanging onto as a result of I would at some point use it once more. Of course, it’s not so simple as throwing it within the bin, particularly as a result of e-waste comprises dangerous supplies. Despite this, in keeping with the Geneva Environment Network, solely round 20% is correctly recycled globally.
As a primary port of name, I began by wanting into resale and trade-in choices — hey, with commerce tariffs and a RAM chip crunch driving up the price of tech, it is sensible to leap on the secondhand market, proper? But with most of my units over 5 years previous, their worth had dropped considerably. Quotes from resale platforms and trade-in applications like Swappa, Amazon Trade-In, and BackMarket had been minimal and sometimes inadequate to justify the hassle.
Outside of repurposing the previous tech, that left two practical choices: go them on to somebody who’ll really use them or recycle them correctly. Thankfully, recycling has develop into simpler within the UK because of new guidelines that require giant retailers to supply free drop-off factors for small electronics and to gather bigger home equipment, making it much more handy than visiting your native waste assortment heart.
Off the again of those new circular-economy recycling guidelines, producers have additionally launched extra recycling and trade-in applications prior to now yr. The most up-to-date was Insta360 within the US, which can also be accepting gear from different manufacturers like DJI, however there are additionally different massive names like Samsung. It’s worthwhile checking with a model straight, as many have partnered with third-party companies like Recommerce to launch or scale their trade-in applications.
If there’s one factor I realized from this complete expertise, it’s that possibly the neatest improve you’ll make this yr isn’t a brand new gadget. Instead, it’s lastly letting go of those we don’t use, and whereas Earth Day may really feel like the suitable second to do it, this can be a behavior price protecting all yr spherical.
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