A guide to minimise your e-waste footprint through responsible consumption

Do you feel the need to upgrade your smartphone way too often? Do you end up eyeing the next model as soon as one with slightly better camera specs is released? Do you get tempted to switch to wireless earphones even though your wired ones still work just fine– just because the design is sleeker or it “feels modern”?Over the last decade, most of us have fallen into this cycle of frequent tech upgrades. Driven by flashy launches, trade-in offers, or simply by the fear of missing out, we have let consumerism get the better of us like never before. But as our devices become faster, slimmer, and more advanced, there’s a looming crisis that is growing silently in the background– a piling mountain of discarded electronics!Every device we replace before time, every accessory we throw away because it no longer ‘matches’ our setup, adds to the world’s mounting e-waste problem. As the fastest-growing domestic waste stream globally, e-waste is a major problem in growing economies. Statistics reveal that e-waste generation in India has surged by 73% over five years, from 1.01 million metric tons in 2019-20 to 1.75 million metric tons in 2023-24, partly driven by increased electronic consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.¹ Yet, despite large volumes generated, less than one-third of India's e-waste is recycled, indicating challenges in effective e-waste management.²While successful e-waste control requires long-term systemic and legislative interventions, which includes stronger take-back policies, formalised recycling infrastructure, and extended producer responsibility, there’s still a lot that consumers can do. The good news is that we can all be part of a solution which might be slower but more effective through time. Coming handy here are the three pillars of ‘Reduce,’ ‘Reuse,’ and ‘Repair’ which have emerged as practical steps to rethink our relationship with electronics.We take a look at how we can practise this three-step strategy to reduce our e-waste footprint.Step 1: REDUCE: Rethink consumption at the sourceBuying less and buying better is one of the most powerful levers in combating e-waste. Every unnecessary tech upgrade that we make adds to the cycle of ‘extract–manufacture–discard.’ As consumers, when we reduce demand, we also reduce pressure on natural resources, emissions from manufacturing, and ultimately, the volume of waste entering the system. Some of the best practices to reduce consumption are:Step 2: REUSE: Extend the life cycle of electronicsA large portion of the global consumer e-waste comes not from completely non-functional gadgets, but from perfectly usable ones discarded too early. The principle of reusing in e-waste management extends a device’s functional life and postpones its entry into the waste stream. Some essential tips that you can follow are:New age tech is often intentionally designed to be difficult to repair. But choosing to repair instead of replace disrupts this pattern, conserves resources, and reduces your footprint. Some essential guardrails to not fall into this trap are:When your device finally reaches end-of-life, disposal matters. This is why you should be extra cautious about things like:By practising the ‘reduce, reuse, and repair’ philosophy in our everyday lives, we begin to chip away at a problem that is too vast for policy alone to solve. Every device used longer, fixed instead of trashed, or passed on instead of tossed can make a difference.Sources:^1,2Ministry of Housing and Urban AffairsDisclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of 'Project E-waste, a collaborative initiative between Mercedes and SACH India' by Times Internet's Spotlight team.