Amazon must help repair and recycle electronics to cut waste, MPs say
Amazon must help recycle and repair laptops and mobile phones to cut waste, the Environmental Audit Committee has said.
MPs said big tech companies and online retailers should do more to reduce household e-waste, with 155,000 tonnes ending up in household bins every year.
The committee said the firms had "avoided playing their part" in the circular economy and should be required to collect unwanted phones, laptops and other household electronics from customers.
While high street retailers such as DixonsCarphone have schemes where they collect unwanted electronics from customers, excluding online shops from this requirement put an unfair burden on the high street.
They also criticised Apple for gluing together parts and making it difficult for third-party technicians to repair their products, as well as charging high prices for official repairs, reducing the incentive for people to keep products for longer.
Apple is among companies which have been fined by regulators in the US and Europe for "planned obsolescence", in which products are designed to lose functionality over time.
The company has said that loss of performance is not deliberate but due to ageing batteries.
The UK is one of the largest exporters of electronic waste in the world, with some researchers believing that we send 40 per cent of it overseas.
Much of this ends up being dumped, with toxic chemicals contaminating the environment and harming people and wildlife in receiving countries.
Committee chairman Philip Dunne said: “For too long companies like Amazon and Apple have been dodging their environmental responsibilities for the products they sell.
“Too many devices sold and made by these companies have a limited, and sometimes decreasing, lifespan and end up in bins, eventually going to landfill or incineration.
"There is no chance of precious metals being retrieved, which could quickly become a huge problem as the rare and disappearing materials are crucial for renewable energy such as wind turbines, solar panels and electric car batteries."
Apple said it was "surprised and disappointed" with the report.
"We practice what we preach, driving private sector innovation forward in areas from device durability and recycled materials, to ambitious goals for a fully carbon neutral supply chain and device life cycle by 2030, and to one day end the use of mined and extracted materials altogether," a spokesman said.
An Amazon spokesman said: "We have supported the recycling of more than 10,000 tonnes of electronic waste in the UK over the last decade.
"To address the root cause of e-waste, Amazon’s own devices are designed to last so that customers don’t have to upgrade every year, and we provide a range options such as trade-in, pre-owned devices, and recycling."
