New research from CleanMyMac X by MacPaw in the UK, France and Germany, has uncovered that 70% of users believe their Macs are either put to good use, recycled, reused, or returned to Apple, when disposed of.
However, this is not always the case, and the haste to upgrade to the latest version, coupled with frequent buying of new devices, is in fact contributing considerably to climate change across the world.
In reality, in the EU, less than 40% of e-waste is recycled. The EU and US create the most amount of e-waste but this is often exported to other countries. The report says this results in unnecessary carbon emissions, mounting landfill, and non-biodegradable waste which all has a damaging effect on the stability of our environment.
Commissioned by CleanMyMac X and carried out byArlington Research, the survey of 1,500 Mac users from the UK (500), Germany (500), and France (500), found that 38% think their Macs are recycled when discarded, compared to 16% who believe they go to landfill. Reasons respondents disposed of an old Mac, included: to upgrade to a newer model (23%), and because their systems got too slow (21%).
However, prolonging the life of devices by just one year and ensuring responsible disposal (through schemes such as Apple Trade In – which less than a fifth (18%) of respondents have used — will ensure technology doesn’t become the next “fast fashion” or “plastic pollution,” and a significant contributor to climate change, says Oleksandr Kosovan, CEO and founder, MacPaw.
“In the fight against climate change, there are things within our control. Prolonging the life of our devices by keeping them clutter-free and in good condition, to prevent unnecessary e-waste, is one of them,” adds Kosovan. “At a minimum, if the 21% of people who dispose of their Macs because they are too slow were to maintain them properly, this would improve their lifetime, resulting in reduced carbon emissions and less impact on the earth’s resources – as well as financial savings – to support the battle against climate change.”
