In the 2024 ICT Household Survey, we asked respondents how they had disposed of their most recently disposed of/replaced ICT device and what factors influence their purchase of devices. Types of ICT devices encompasses a broad range of devices including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, smartphones, desktop computers, game consoles, printers, speakers, cameras, etc.
In 2024, seven in ten (70%) internet users said that their most recently disposed of mobile phone or smartphone is still at home, whether it is out of use or intended for use by another person in the household, while less than one in seven (15%) had sold it or given it away, a drop of one percentage point on the same period in 2022, when this set of questions were last included in the survey.
Analysis by age group shows that younger people aged 16 to 29 years were far more likely to sell or give away their mobile phone or smartphone when disposing of it or replacing it. Nearly one quarter (24%) of these younger internet users sold or gave away their phone when finished using it, over double the use of this disposal method amongst older persons in the 60 to 74 years age group (11%). Just 5% of internet users aged 75 years and over sold or gave their phone away when disposing of it or replacing it.
Respondents in very disadvantaged areas were far more likely to sell or give away their phone when replacing it. One in five (20%) of internet users residing in disadvantaged areas and one in six (16%) of persons living in very disadvantaged areas sold or gave away their mobile phone or smartphone, compared with 13% of households of greater affluence. Conversely, over seven in ten respondents living in affluent areas still had their old phone at home with 74% living in very affluent areas and 72% residing in affluent areas had kept their phone in their household, rather than using some other means of disposal, compared with just over six in ten (62%) of respondents living in very disadvantaged areas.
There are free household Waste Electrical and Electronic (WEEE) recycling/e-waste collection points in the majority of towns across the country. Alternatively, you can return old devices etc. to a retailer, and this take-back system is free. It operates on a one-for-one and like-for-like basis. The appliance you are returning must be of a similar type or perform the same function as the one you are buying. The item you wish to dispose of is returned to the retailer where you are buying the new product, not to the retailer where the item was originally purchased. You can avail of the free collection of waste equipment on delivery of new equipment, or you can return it to the retailer’s premises at any time.
Just 9% of internet users had disposed of their most recently disposed of/replaced mobile phone or smartphone in such electronic waste collection/recycling, a drop of four percentage points on the same period in 2022. Females (11%) were more likely than males (8%) to dispose of their mobile phone or smartphone in this way.
Just 1% had disposed of their phone in waste, not specific for electronic waste recycling. See Figure 2.1, Table 2.1, and PxStat Tables for comparisons with 2022.
One in seven (15%) disposed of their most recently disposed of/replaced laptop or tablet using a WEEE recycling/e-waste collection point, unchanged from 2022. Nearly six in ten (58%) said that their old laptop or tablet was still at home, either not being used or intended for use by someone else in the house, while one in eleven (9%) had sold it or given it away, down two percentage points from the same period in 2022.
Desktop computers tend to be less frequently replaced than phones or tablets, although people do seem to be replacing their desktop computers more frequently. Four in ten (40%) said that they had never replaced their desktop, compared with 53% in the same period of 2022. This compares with just less than one in seven (15%) internet users who have never replaced their laptop or tablet and have always used the same one, and just 3% who have never replaced their mobile phone or smartphone.
Please note that included in this category are those who had never owned a desktop computer or laptop/tablet or mobile phone or smartphone, and so, the method of disposal of such a device did not apply. See Figure 2.2, Tables 2.1, 2.2, & 2.3, and PxStat Tables for comparisons with 2022.
Nearly one quarter (24%) had disposed of their most recently disposed of/replaced desktop computer in electronic waste/recycling or brought it back to the retailer, an increase of six percentage points on the same period in 2022.
Over one quarter (26%) still have their old desktop computer at home. Males (28%) were more likely than females (23%) to hold on to their old desktop computer.
Analysis by region shows that respondents living in households in the South-East (26%) of the country were more likely to dispose of their desktop computers using WEEE recycling or returning it to a retailer to dispose of, compared with just over one in five (21%) internet users living in the West of the country. The South-East region includes counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Wexford, while the West region includes counties Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon.
Some 23% of Dubliners used (WEEE) recycling/e-waste collection points or had returned it to a retailer using the take-back scheme when buying a new device. See Map 2.1, Table 2.3, and PxStat Tables for comparisons with 2022.
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