Samsung recently released the findings of a survey about American users'' attitudes toward electronic waste (e-waste) and their reluctance to recycle.
Several people have difficulties getting rid of their old devices, which is causing the company to increase the amount of worldwide e-waste. This information comes from Samsung''s Green Print Survey (opens in a new tab) that she conducted with Morning Consult. They asked 2,210 people over the age of 18 what is hindering them from becoming more environmentally friendly.
According to the survey, around 50 percent of respondents believe that e-waste is a major concern for the environment, but 72 percent refuse to recycle their devices. This raises two questions: what do people do with that old technology and why don''t they recycle?
Stuffing them away
People eat them away in various locations around the house for safekeeping. 36 percent of people admitted that they have a designated e-waste junk drawer where they remove old equipment (that figure is up to 54 percent for young people appartening to Gen Z)
The answer to why people don''t recycle is because they''re too close to their gadgets or as Samsung puts it, they have Digital FOMO (fear of missing out). 24 percent of respondents said they were afraid of losing photographs on old phones. 23 percent save devices just in case something happens to the new one. The older generations tend to be more wary about leaks.
A quarter of children say they are keeping an eye on their e-waste because they believe that old devices still have sensitive information on them, and they cannot ensure it becomes available. That percentage has dropped to 8 percent for Gen Z respondents, who believe to be more secure in software security. Likewise, older generations are more likely to save used devices to give them away later.
Recycling recommendations
Samsung offered a wide spectrum of suggestions on how to do with e-waste. Located near your house, you can find them on the Samsung Responsible Recycling webpage (opens in a new tab) and clicking "Drop off today."
Samsung''s self-repair program allows you to improve your devices'' longevity, although it is limited to a few smartphones like the Galaxy S20 and S21.