Untapped treasures: Almost

Unpolished Treasures: Fast-Tech as a Goldmine October 18, 2026 Mini-fans, cheap chargers, or the smartwatch that should help people do more sports in the new year—about 44 percent of people in Europe own at least six "Fast-Tech" devices. More than half of these devices are unused or broken and end up in the drawer or household waste instead of being recycled. This was discovered by WEEE Forum, a European association for the collection of electrical and electronic waste based in Brussels. The market for Fast-Tech—that is, electronic devices with short lifecycles—is booming. The association includes chargers and light bulbs costing less than ten euros, high-tech devices like power banks and fitness trackers, apparatus and lifestyle products like inexpensive mini-mixers and fans, as well as electronic disposable vapes. "These electronic devices are a bit like fast fashion," says Magdalena Charytanowicz, who is responsible for public relations at the WEEE Forum, to DW. Almost 40 percent of Fast-Tech product buyers reported that they had disposed of such products unused or within a month of purchase. Almost 60 percent stated that they had used a product for no longer than six months. However, the vast majority of respondents were generally satisfied with the devices despite their short lifespan. Consumers seem to accept that these "Fast-Tech bargains" may be of lower quality, but their purpose is to serve for a certain period and then be easily replaced, like in fast fashion. Latent Raw Materials Globally, about 62 million tons of electrical equipment are disposed of each year. "That is as much as the Great Wall of China every year," says Charytanowicz, adding that this amount is likely to grow to 82 million tons by 2030. In Europe, about 40 percent of electronic waste is recycled, but globally this figure is only 17 percent. Valuable materials are therefore lost while the waste pollutes the environment. In 2022, millions of tons of critical raw materials, including manganese, gold, copper, and aluminum, lay dormant in the 10.7 million tons of electronic waste generated in Europe. These materials are "at the center of geopolitical tensions," says Charytanowicz, referring to conflicts that are increasing worldwide over access to rare earths and other critical minerals. "Even the smallest devices," which contain a circuit board or a battery, are considered worth the effort of recycling, she emphasizes. Awareness of how inexpensive electrical devices are disposed of must be increased, and recycling should be made as simple as possible, say associations like the WEEE Forum. However, the best approach to reduce the environmental impact of a product is to extend its lifespan through better design and repair options, as recycling raw materials requires a lot of energy. Clearer, EU-wide harmonized regulations, which are currently being discussed, could help improve the collection of electronic waste, hopes Charytanowicz. She believes the directive adopted 20 years ago is not really suitable for the changing reality. Digital Healthcare Another cause of the growing pile of electronic waste is the digitalization of healthcare. Products such as diabetes sensors and blood pressure monitors may revolutionize healthcare, but many of them are single-use products. According to a study published in the journal Nature in December 2025, the sale of wearable electronics in the healthcare sector could grow to two billion devices annually worldwide by 2050 and lead to further millions of tons of electronic waste. Jeremy Faludi teaches sustainable design engineering at TU Delft in the Netherlands. He says making devices used or reusable in the healthcare sector is a much bigger challenge than with other gadgets. This is especially true for digital devices used in or issued by hospitals. Partly this is due to the need to protect patients from contamination, especially when using digital surgical instruments that come into contact with blood or other body fluids. "These are often designed so they cannot be reused because they cannot be sterilized without the electronics," he emphasizes. Modular Design as a Goal Faludi was involved in the project Digital health in a Circular Economy (DiCE), an EU-funded initiative that aims to design digital devices in the healthcare sector in such a way that "critical materials are recycled and the environmental impact is reduced without endangering patient safety." For example, a modular design could separate the electronic components from the parts that need to be replaced from patient to patient. This would make the devices easier to reuse. The project, which lasted over four years, involved citizens and hospitals and manufacturers in nine EU countries, and for example, it showed that reusable ECG cables—with which patients are connected to heart monitoring devices—reduce the environmental impact by between 81 and 94 percent. These cables are usually designed for single use. Regulations for the disposal of medical waste could also hinder reuse and recycling, especially if regulations differ from country to country and are based more on presumed than actual risks, Faludi explains. About 85 percent of the waste generated in hospitals is not infectious, but all the waste ends up in the same containers. Better sorting of waste and EU-wide regulations for dealing with non-infectious hospital waste could help here. "Green incentives" for better recycling Like many other electronic devices, devices such as blood pressure or blood sugar monitors are often forgotten or not disposed of correctly because people do not know which waste they belong in, says Charytanowicz of WEEE Forum, who was also involved in the DiCE initiative. In pilot projects in Belgium, Spain, and Slovenia, which offered free returns by post and collection points in public places, it was found that over 60 percent of people were willing to return unwanted devices as long as the process was uncomplicated. "What is really important is that the process can be integrated into daily routines," emphasizes Charytanowicz, adding that "incentives," such as messages that recycling a device could contribute to another person's health, motivate people to "do the right thing."