We’ve Heard Of “Fast Fashion”, But What Is “Fast Tech”?

FastTech is a name for cheap, small electrical goods like mini fans, headphones, LED lights, USB cables, and even disposable vapes. According to the non-profit group Material Focus, UK adults now buy over 1.14 billion FastTech items every year.

The term compares this growing habit to fast fashion. Just as fast fashion is known for short lifespans and heavy waste, FastTech is now the fastest growing type of e-waste in the UK. These products are made with valuable materials like copper, aluminium and lithium, but because of how easily they’re thrown out, these materials are regularly lost.

More than 12 million FastTech items sold last year in the UK cost £1 or less. Their low price makes them seem disposable even though they are not designed to be. Over a third of people in the UK admit they treat FastTech this way, according to research from the Recycle Your Electricals campaign.

 

How Much Are We Buying And Throwing Away?

 

The average adult in the UK now owns around 21 FastTech items. Demand has more than doubled since 2023, with annual spending rising from £2.8 billion to £11.6 billion. Most of these items don’t last long. In fact, 55% are either thrown out or forgotten in drawers soon after being bought.

Around 589 million FastTech items are thrown out each year in the UK, or around 11.3 million every week. That’s equal to 2,278 football fields worth of discarded tech in one year.

Mini fans are one of the best examples. Material Focus reports a total of 7.1 million being bought last year, and from that, 3.4 million have already ended up unused or in the bin. Google search trends in May showed a 16% rise in searches for fans compared to the same time last year, with demand increasing during heatwaves.

 

What Is Actually Inside This Cheap Tech?

 

Every bit of FastTech, even the £1 items, is made using valuable materials. Gold, copper, lithium, stainless steel and aluminium are all found inside gadgets that are casually thrown out after a few uses.

Those materials are in short supply and needed for everything from medical devices to electric vehicles. But once FastTech is dumped, it’s difficult to recover them. Some just sit unused in drawers. Others end up in landfill, where they can cause damage to soil and water.

The UK threw away 260 million disposable vapes last year, as well as 26 million cables, and nearly 10 million USB sticks. That’s really a waste of resources, and most of it could have just been recycled.

 

 

Is Recycling Enough?

 

Recycling helps, but it’s not enough on its own. Around 51% of FastTech items are still going in the bin. Many people do not realise that anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled. That includes light up balloons and LED toilet lights.

Christine Nikander, who runs The E-Waste Column, says FastTech already actually beats fast fashion in the amount that ends up in landfill. And because the items are so small and cheap, they often escape notice.

 

How To Be Responsible With FastTech, According To An Expert

 

Professor Cathrine Jansson-Boyd says that being smarter about FastTech starts with small habits. These items may be cheap, but that does not mean they are worthless. Every cable, vape or mini fan is made with valuable materials that are worth keeping in use for as long as possible.

Her advice begins with buying less in the first place. Before picking up new tech, it’s worth stopping to ask… will it actually be used more than once? If the answer is no, it might be better not to buy it. Planning for regular use, rather than quick convenience, helps reduce waste.

She mentioned a few more other tips, such as how tech in good condition can go to neighbours, schools, nurseries or local charities. Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled, even small items. The Recycle Your Electricals locator shows nearly 30,000 drop off points across the UK. So, keeping a box at home for unwanted gadgets can make things easier, then one can collect and drop off to recycle.

Buying less and using things for longer may not feel exciting. But it’s a habit worth forming… it takes about 6 weeks for new behaviours to stick, according to Jansson-Boyd. Starting small helps.