E-waste and the consumer: Improving options to reduce, reuse and recycle

Growth in the electronics sector and rapid changes in technology mean that more consumers are generating growing volumes of waste electronic equipment, much of which is still operational. Faced with a limited and fragmented recycling and reuse infrastructure, many consumers are storing old equipment in their homes or discarding it with their regular trash. Consumers Union has drawn from its own tests of electronics products, consumer survey data and research and analysis of existing e-waste recycling programs to assess the need for changes that will enable consumers to reduce, reuse and recycle greater volumes of this growing category of waste. Our findings suggest that more workable solutions are needed at every stage of the product life cycle to protect consumers, public health and the environment [a].