More than 3 quarters of UK users say they would like a 'universal' broadband router that will work with any provider, highlighting the growing challenge of e-waste and recycling in the telecoms industry .
Most broadband customers use equipment provided by their dealer, which means they get a new router every time they make a switch.
However, vendors are not required to support recycling, resulting in a huge volume of unused routers that can be disposed of irresponsibly.
router recycling
A uSwitch study released to coincide with World Recycling Day found that nearly half (7%) of households have an unused router in their home and one in XNUMX has two or more. There are twenty-two million units, enough to complete more than ten Olympic swimming pools.
As users gradually become more environmentally conscious, this situation is considered unsustainable. Nearly two-thirds (fifty-nine percent) don't know how to recycle their equipment, while sixty percent think their dealer could do more to help them do so.
Calls for a universal router reflect this frustration, but such a scenario is unlikely. Many telecommunications operators use state-of-the-art equipment to distinguish their service and facilitate the guarantee of quality service. As an example, the Sky Broadband Router works with your Sky Q TV equipment to create a mesh network that improves Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home.
The standardized equipment makes it easy to diagnose problems and also allows for a "plug and play" installation since the factors are pre-configured.
The survey suggests that service customers are reportedly unaware of the role of hardware distinction and that broadband providers need to do more about recycling.
“We can all be guilty of sustaining free technology longer than necessary, but the volume of electronic waste is now a serious problem and more than twenty-two million routers gather dust in our homes. Action needs to be taken,” said Nick Baker, broadband specialist at Uswitch.com.
“Since most routers come from vendors first, they need to accentuate and play a more essential role in solving this issue.
“More than half of people don't know how to recycle an old router, which points to a lack of public awareness. Providers need to bridge this gap and make sure their service customers have all the information they need to dispose of old routers in an environmentally friendly way. »
Environmental concerns are also partly driving the market for refurbished phones, with users eager to recycle their devices and get cash on a new one or hoping to get new technology at a lower cost.