Old phones, laptops and tablets disappear into a drawer or box in the attic

More than half of Dutch people aged 16 or older indicated in 2022 that they keep their old mobile phones at home, and more than 10 percent hand them in for recycling. Old laptops and tablets also often disappear into the attic or a drawer. When purchasing new smartphones or other (mobile) devices, buyers are more likely to pay attention to speed, memory capacity and price than to sustainability or the environment. This is reported by CBS based on the latest figures from the survey ICT use by households and individuals 2022.

ICT use by households and individuals 2022 is a survey that CBS conducts annually from April to July. In 2022, 5,800 people aged 16 or older took part in this. Of the participants in the survey who have or have had a device (smartphone, laptop, tablet or PC), 55 percent indicated that they keep old mobile phones or smartphones at home. Almost a quarter sold or gave away the old device and 13 percent handed it in for recycling. Throwing old mobile phones in the trash was done by 2 percent. Old laptops or tablets are also often kept at home; around 40 percent said they had done so in 2022.