Staples: Our Tech Recycling Stats are Still in the Dumps

The computer business has been bustling for a few years now. That makes sense in an economy that is increasingly becoming more tech-driven and mobile-dependent. Tablets, iPhones and newer mobile technology are taking the consumer's focus by storm. Stats posted by Statista indicate that the global shipments of tablets, desktop computers and laptops have been steadily increasing since 2010, with tablets taking the lead.

But what isn't doing so well, according to a study recently released by Staples, is the tech recycling market.

On the surface, it would seem that people just can't part with their favorite gadgets. For 13 percent of those surveyed, that seems to be true. Those first-ever phones, tablets and clunky computers seem to stick around a lot longer than we figure.

But more surprising is the number of people who go through the motions of recycling them. Only 4 percent of those who are tech-savvy seek out recycling methods for their old equipment. Another 10 percent goes to those who resell them, and 6 percent to those who give them away as gifts.

Stats from the ElectronicTakeBack website gave a better picture for 2010, using Environmental Protection Agency numbers for that year. Only 40 percent of the 423,000 pounds of computers that were disposed of in that year were recycled. It doesn't clarify whether some of that redundant equipment was recycled in the form of resale or handing them off to friends and families; those are stats that we seem better at pulling apart this year. But the message is still clear, points out Jared Skye. Tech recycling options not only offer the chance to repurpose valuable materials and create new jobs, but cut down on the carbon generated from an over-abundant, decaying landfill.

Staples' stats point out another oddity in America's tech lifestyle: There's no lack of places to recycle, repurpose and resell our old gizmos, but the majority of Americans are ho-hum about using older versions. A whopping 55 percent of those surveyed said they have never purchased a pre-loved device, with 17 percent admitting they didn't really know they could. More than 60 percent say they haven't because they prefer to buy their equipment brand-new.

To this end, the company says it is in the process of launching a new trade-in program that will allow customers to get rid of some of those older models. Individuals can either trade in at the store or online. Staples' system works much like other outlets that have opened their virtual doors to trade-ins, and like other website, make the qualification that it only takes certain makes and models (which leaves some users back at the starting gate with their older model).

This codicil also begs the question whether some of those glaring landfill stats are the result of the owner's resignation at not being able to find a trade-in center for an older-but-still-working model. Discount programs from tech stores that allow customers to get rid of their dinosaurs as part of the purchase would be great, but of course computer and phone stores would then have to assume the onerous job of recycling -- or passing on -- old computer parts.

Still, Staples' new trade-in option still provides further proof that there's a growing number of ways now to to support the concept of tech recycling, and keep our old clunkers out of the landfill.

Image: Anna Vignet