A new study conducted by iYogi Insights  the research division of  leading independent provider of on-demand  tech support services, on e-waste disposal habits reveals that 28 percent Americans have junked their old PCs in the trash at least once. The study is based on the findings from a survey of   more than 2,000 iYogi customers.

With PCs and connected devices becoming a part of our daily lives, it is not surprising that 62 percent respondents claimed to have changed their PCs in the last three years. Studies cite that around 400 million electronic devices end up in the trash every year accounting for 2 percent of the country’s landfills and 70 percent of overall toxic waste. As many as 74 percent respondents said that they were not interested in registering with a third party recycler. The iYogi Insights study also revealed that 86 percent respondents know that disposing their electronics in the trash is harmful to the Earth.

Recent studies have attributed the fact that e-recycling is not as popular an option as it should be. This is due to various reasons including that people often feel that they do not have viable options or are still uninformed about how to dispose of their e-waste. Reasons ascribed included not knowing how or where to recycle old technology and difficulty finding a collection event.

The iYogi Insights research also found out revealed that the last time respondents changed their PCs:

• 45 percent donated them of which 45 percent gave to friends and family, 21 percent to charity organizations such as Salvation Army, Red Cross and local non-profits.
• 41 percent recycled their PCs of which 85 percent  used a third party recycler and 15 percent returned them to the company.

“The study cites that there is increased awareness about e-waste and how to responsibly dispose PCs. We are committed to generating more awareness and educating consumers and providing them easy options to recycle their waste,” said Vishal Dhar, President Marketing and co-founder of iYogi. “With the average number of devices in a home increasing at a rapid pace, and the rate at which we will see consumers replacing old devices can potentially be disastrous for the environment, if we do not recycle responsibly. It needs collaborative efforts from manufacturers, local authorities, third party recyclers and media to generate more awareness about viable options, “he added.

To read the detailed report, please visit http://insights.iyogi.com.

ABOUT IYOGI INSIGHTS

iYogi Insights is a research initiative launched by iYogi to help understand the issues that people face with technology and how they adapt tech solutions to enhance their lives. A subscriber base that is among the largest in the tech support industry gives iYogi a unique vantage point to observe how technology is impacting people's lives and habits. Frequent interaction with this wide database of subscribers gives a privileged peek into how people are forging a partnership with technology, sorting out the occasional issue, and on the whole, positively embracing technology to empower themselves.