Data shows most people still don’t recycle their smartphones or buy used devices

The smartphone may turn out to be the most enduring symbol of modern human invention. Microcomputers are now the gateway to a whole new world. Now they have tiny artificial intelligence assistants inside their bodies. They are Even if I go to space.

Smartphones are harming impressionable young people, exacerbating a collective mental health crisis, and contributing to worsening global pollution.

According to world health organizationglobal e-waste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream. In 2022, record amounts of e-waste (62 million tons to be exact) leached pollutants like lead and mercury into the environment. Mobile phones, computers, and household appliances make up the majority of electronic equipment in landfills. The United States is approx. 7.2 million tons of e-waste in 2022 And about half of them were there.

Why don’t we recycle more?

You may have heard of the space race and now the AI ​​race. rare earth mineral lace?If not, now is the time.

Most of the world’s newest technology, including smartphones, is powered by just 17 metallic elements. They form powerful magnets, lasers, batteries, etc. They are abundant all over the world, but mining is becoming increasingly difficult. This production difficulty has led to political conflicts and a sense of scarcity as countries seek to secure large rare earth deposits. When you throw away your phone or let it collect dust in a drawer, these rare earths also become attached to it. This is basically the theory of trapped water, but with very small amounts of naturally occurring magnetic elements.

A 2026 CNET reader survey found that only 39 percent of people have ever recycled their electronics. According to a 2024 YouGov survey, that number is only 7%. About one-third of U.S. adults say they are reluctant to recycle due to uncertainty about recycling rules and programs, and about one-fifth say they simply throw their e-waste in the trash. Dumping electronic waste is illegal or regulated in 25 states. Yet another study conducted by Allstate Protection Plans found that more than half of Americans keep a device on hand purely as a backup.

That act itself creates a series of problems. According to the United Nations’ Global E-waste Monitor (GEM), the amount of e-waste is growing by 2.6 million tonnes each year, far outpacing the e-recycling rate. By 2024, we will generate five times more e-waste than recycling technologies.

And things get even worse. Less than a quarter of the amount of e-waste recycled is properly collected and treated, often creating even more waste and pollution. Even if electronic equipment is successfully broken down through complex recycling processes, only small amounts of rare earths are produced by each piece of equipment. That means more equipment is needed in the recycling stream to make a difference.

All this leads to the next reality. E-waste recycling meets less than 1% of the demand for rare earth elements, leaving the majority of countries dependent on a few powerful countries with large reserves of rare earth elements. We urgently need to come up with a better system.

For years, environmentalists have proposed simpler solutions. It’s just a matter of stopping buying a ton of new electronics. Retrofit programs are becoming increasingly popular among technology companies, retail giants, and even corporates. president of the united statesMeanwhile, right-to-repair advocates are pushing for legislation that would allow more individuals to extend the life of their personal devices.

However, despite these trends, the number of participants needs to increase tenfold to address the growing e-waste problem.

More than one-third of Americans told their Allstate Protection Plan that they were likely to buy a used or refurbished device, but only 18% actually did so. However, young people Much more likely to buy a refurbished device According to Statista, they are outperforming older generations even though they are hoarding older devices. Almost half of Gen Z said they would choose a used product over a new one to help save the planet. A resurgence of nostalgia for Y2K technologies like the iPod and Cyberdeck, and a desire for devices that are “built to last” in a depressed economy, may help push things further.

Telephones are our heritage, for better or for worse. What do you do about it?