Today, 14 October, is International E-Waste Day. The world now throws away more than 60 million tonnes of electronics a year, and UK homes are holding on to more than 880 million electrical items nobody uses.
The most effective thing you can do about it is also the simplest: keep devices in use for longer. Most of a phone's carbon footprint is created before it is ever switched on, so a phone that already exists is almost always the greener choice. Buying refurbished, repairing what you have, and passing on what you no longer use all do the same job.
What International E-Waste Day is about
The WEEE Forum started International E-Waste Day in 2018 to get more people recycling their old electricals. This year's theme is "Fast Tech: Don't Bin It, Bring It!"
It focuses on the small, cheap electronics people rarely think of as e-waste: earphones, charging cables, USB adapters and single-use vapes. The rule is straightforward. If it has a plug, a cable or a battery, it does not belong in the household bin.
The size of the problem
The latest Global E-waste Monitor, published by the UN in 2024, put the scale of it plainly:
- 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide in 2022, a record.
- Less than a quarter of it (22.3%) was documented as properly collected and recycled.
- E-waste is growing five times faster than documented recycling, and is on course to reach 82 million tonnes a year by 2030.
- An estimated US$62 billion of recoverable materials, including gold and copper, went unaccounted for.
Closer to home, the UK recycling charity Material Focus estimates that more than 880 million unused electrical items are sitting in UK homes. Over 100,000 tonnes of electricals are thrown in household bins each year, and recovering what is lost could save around £1 billion in materials.
A lot of that is phones in drawers: working devices that could still be used by someone else.
Most of a phone's footprint is made before you switch it on
Apple puts the lifetime carbon footprint of an iPhone 17 (256GB) at 55 kg of CO₂e, assuming three years of use. Most of that comes from mining the materials and manufacturing the phone, not from charging it. For the iPhone 14 range, Apple's reports put 79% of lifetime emissions in production.
That changes how to think about "green" tech. A new phone carries its manufacturing footprint from day one, however efficient it is to run. Every extra year a phone stays in use spreads that footprint further. Replacing a working phone early means paying it again.
How much refurbished actually saves
In 2022, France's environment agency ADEME and telecoms regulator Arcep compared refurbished smartphones with new ones. Choosing refurbished cut the phone's annual environmental impact by 55% to 91%, depending on the measure. For greenhouse gases, the saving was 87%, or about 25 kg of emissions avoided for every year of use.
The reason is simple. Refurbishment reuses a phone that has already been made, replacing only what needs replacing, such as a worn battery or a cracked screen. The mining and manufacturing have already happened.
A refurbished phone is only greener if it lasts, though. That is why every device we sell is professionally refurbished and put through a 90-point check before it is listed. It also comes with a 12-month warranty (6 months on sale items), so it can stay in use with confidence. For the wider case beyond the environment, see why buy refurbished tech.
What to do with the phone in your drawer
If you have an old phone, tablet or laptop you no longer use, work down this list before anything goes to recycling.
- Repair it, if it is still yours to use. A new battery or screen costs far less than a new phone, in money and in emissions. Our repairs team in Ballymoney can tell you what is worth fixing.
- Pass it on. A working device still has value. Sell it, trade it in, or hand it down to someone in the family.
- Recycle what cannot be reused. Use the Recycle Your Electricals postcode search to find your nearest drop-off point. The same goes for old cables, chargers and earphones: don't bin them, bring them.
Before a phone leaves your hands, back up your data, sign out of your Apple or Google account, and reset it to factory settings. Our iPhone support page covers the basics.
FAQ
Is a refurbished phone really better for the environment?
Yes. Most of a phone's lifetime emissions come from making it, and a refurbished phone has already been made. A 2022 French government study found refurbished smartphones produce 87% less greenhouse gas per year of use than new ones.
What counts as e-waste?
Anything with a plug, a cable or a battery once it is thrown away. That includes phones, tablets and laptops, but also the small things that are easy to forget: chargers, cables, earphones and vapes.
Can I put old cables or phones in the household bin?
No. Take them to an electrical recycling point so the materials can be recovered. The Recycle Your Electricals postcode search will find your nearest one.
Do I need to wipe my phone before passing it on?
Yes. Back up your data, sign out of your Apple or Google account, then reset the phone to factory settings and remove your SIM card.
How long will a refurbished iPhone keep getting updates?
Apple's current software, iOS 27, supports every iPhone from the iPhone 11 onwards. A newer model will stay supported for longer, which keeps it in use for longer too.