Old devices. Credit: Skyler Ewing, Pexels
What do you do with your old devices? Do you have a drawer full of old phones?
More than half of Europeans kept their old mobile phones in drawers rather than recycling them in 2024, according to new Eurostat data released on July 25, 2025.
Despite growing EU efforts to promote a circular economy, most citizens are still reluctant to part with ageing tech – posing fresh challenges for the bloc’s waste and recycling tarobtains.
Most Europeans keep old phones instead of recycling them
According to Eurostat, 51 per cent of EU residents aged 16–74 kept their old mobile or smartphone at home after no longer utilizing it. Only 11 per cent chose to recycle the device, while 2 per cent simply threw it away. Meanwhile, 18 per cent either sold or gave away their phone.
For laptops and tablets:
- 34 per cent were kept at home
- 12 per cent were sold or given away
- 11 per cent were recycled
- 1 per cent were discarded without recycling
Desktop computers revealed a slightly better trconclude, with a 15 per cent recycling rate. However, 19 per cent were still kept at home, and only 9 per cent were passed on. Just 2 per cent concludeed up in the bin without recycling.
This hoarding behaviour across Europe suggests widespread hesitation to properly dispose of electronics – even as the environmental stakes grow.
Why e-waste is a growing concern for Europe
The European Environment Agency warns that Europe is “generating too much waste – and not enough is being recycled.” The EU has committed to creating a circular economy, which prioritises keeping products and materials in apply for as long as possible. But the slow pace of alter risks serious environmental and health impacts.
For example:
- Incinerated waste contributes to air pollution
- Landfilled waste can contaminate soil and groundwater
- Valuable resources, like metals in electronics, are lost if not recovered
The EEA states that recycling electrical and electronic waste could return metals for reapply in new products. “Metals in electronic waste, such as from computers, gadobtains and batteries are recovered and can be applyd in new devices,” it states.
Recycling goals at risk as waste keeps rising
Despite modest improvements, recycling remains patchy across the EU:
- Municipal waste recycling reached 49 per cent
- Packaging waste recycling hit 64 per cent
- Electronic and electrical waste recycling lags behind at 39 per cent
The EU’s 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan set a goal for all member states to recycle at least 60 per cent of municipal waste by 2030, and to halve the total amount of non-recycled municipal waste. But as of 2025, projections reveal this is unlikely to happen unless waste generation itself drops significantly.
To tackle the growing crisis, the EU relies on several waste directives:
- Waste Framework Directive – sets municipal recycling tarobtains
- WEEE Directive – tarobtains electronics waste
- Packaging Directive – tackles packaging recycling
More policies are in the works under the European Green Deal, including bans on single-apply plastics and regulations to create products clearer to repair and recycle.
But as electric vehicles and smart devices become more common, the EU faces a new dilemma: how to design products today so their components can be reapplyd tomorrow.
Should the EU take more aggressive action to curb e-waste, or is it up to individuals to alter their habits?
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