Only one in five Ontarians aged 18-29 say they have recycled an out-of-use electronic product in the past year, despite 80 percent of them saying they would recycle a plastic water bottle. The results of a new study sponsored by the Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) have prompted the organization to respond with a lighthearted video depicting the potential social consequences of holding on to old gadgets.
Other key findings from the study, which was conducted by Ipsos Reid Research:
- The majority (3 in 5) of millennials say they are environmentally conscious
- One half of millennials feel they should recycle out-of-use electronics – however, only 1 in 5 do
- 1 in 3 millennials have heard of a program for disposing of electronics in Ontario
- 2 in 3 millennials feel that improper disposal of electronics is a concern, primarily due to pollution and filling up landfills
- The majority of respondents had a laptop, smartphone and printer (92%, 79% and 72% respectively)
- Plastic water bottles (80%), wine/beer bottles (76%), paper products (75%) and old clothing (51%) are more likely to be recycled than electronics
- Top three barriers to electronics recycling include inconvenience (40%), lack of information (28%), and concern about personal data / information (25%)
- More than 1 in ten millennials in Ontario would rather give up food for a day than their phone
The promotional video can be viewed here.