Don’t Listen To The Misanthropes

It is cheap, often poorly made, and usually ends up in the bin or buried among the other knick-knacks, takeaway menus and birthday candles in the kitchen drawer. Known as “fast-tech”, these low-cost electronics are increasingly common – from mini-fans and electric toothbrushes, to portable chargers and LED toilet seats, often bought for just a few pounds online.

Yees, Reader, the misantropes at the 'Guardian' are at it again - how very dare you get a moment's pleasure from something they don't think you should have? 

But behind the bargain price is a growing problem: many of these items are difficult to repair, not recycled and quickly discarded. Electronic waste is one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams, and experts say fast tech is playing an increasingly significant role.

Oh. 'experts'. Well. they are never wrong, I suppose? 

In the UK, it is estimated that more than 1.14bn of these small electronic gadgets (including vapes) are bought a year and about half (589m) are disposed of in that same time, which is equivalent to 19 a second, according to Material Focus, the organisation behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign.

“We’ve had fast food, we’ve had fast fashion, and we’re now in the age of fast tech,” says Scott Butler, the executive director of Material Focus. “We’re not moralist against technology, but what we are concerned about is the volume of low-quality, cheap, flimsy products that are flooding the market, which end up binned or unused.”

Not moralist? Methinks he doth protest too much... 

Butler highlights “fad” fast tech as a key issue – cheap items that are bought at certain times of year or for particular occasions, such as mini-fans as the UK warms up or light-up Christmas jumpers. About 7.1m mini-fans were bought in the UK last year and more than 3.5m have already been discarded or forgotten in drawers in that same period.

*glances at cute, useful minifan standing on computer desk* From my cold, dead hands, Butler! 

Laura Young, an environmental scientist and campaigner, says fast tech represents a new kind of environmental threat – not just because of the potentially toxic chemicals many contain, but because of the sheer volume and disposability.

These people won't be content until the entite population lives in tiny grey identical boxes, owning nothing, eating and drinking only what the 'experts' say is good for us.