Fast tech is UK’s quickest growing source of e-waste

The UK threw away almost half a billion small electrical items over the past year making it the UK’s fastest growing e-waste stream.

New research from the not-for-profit organisation Material Focus found that consumers spend an average of £4 on “ fast tech” items such as cables, lights and disposable vapes.

It said that around 90 per cent of fast tech items are thrown away each year, compared to 30 per cent of fast fashion times.

The group estimates that around 100,000 tonnes of waste electricals are thrown away each year and there are around 880 million electrical items of all types lying unused in UK homes.

Many of these items contain valuable materials such as gold and aluminium which can be retrieved when the items are recycled.

According to Material Focus, materials contained in any electrical item can being recycled into new items such as wind turbines, life-saving medical devices or even children’s playground equipment and electric vehicles.

Material Focus found that around 60 per cent of people said they recycled their electrical items, which is an increase from 52 per cent in 2021.

Commenting on the news Scott Butler, executive Director at Material Focus, said that many people do not realise that most small and cheap tech items contain valuable materials.

“Fast tech is seriously rivalling Fast Fashion, and is causing similar headaches. People should think carefully about buying some of the more frivolous fast tech items in the first place,” he explained. “We want to get the message across that anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled and there’s somewhere near you to do it.

“The scale of the issue is huge, but there’s an easy solution – just as the trend for recycling and repurposing fashion has grown and grown, we want to encourage the nation to recycle fast tech, guilt and fuss-free.”

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


The future-ready CFO: Driving strategic growth and innovation
This National Technology News webinar sponsored by Sage will explore how CFOs can leverage their unique blend of financial acumen, technological savvy, and strategic mindset to foster cross-functional collaboration and shape overall company direction. Attendees will gain insights into breaking down operational silos, aligning goals across departments like IT, operations, HR, and marketing, and utilising technology to enable real-time data sharing and visibility.

The corporate roadmap to payment excellence: Keeping pace with emerging trends to maximise growth opportunities
In today's rapidly evolving finance and accounting landscape, one of the biggest challenges organisations face is attracting and retaining top talent. As automation and AI revolutionise the profession, finance teams require new skillsets centred on analysis, collaboration, and strategic thinking to drive sustainable competitive advantage.