Understanding People's Recycling Behavior on Unwanted USB Cables and their Contribution to e-Waste in Hong Kong through a Territory-Wide Recycling Programme

Abstract

Unwanted USB cables are an emergent type of electronic waste (or e-waste) that is overlooked in Hong Kong. To address this issue, an action research project, “Off-lines”, is launched to investigate people's knowledge and awareness of USB cable e-waste and take initiatives to raise public awareness of its proper disposal. From February to May 2022, the study conducted a questionnaire survey and received 457 valid responses. The results revealed that each respondent has an average of nine unused USB cables and, based on this finding, it is estimated that there are 57.7 million excessive USB cables in Hong Kong. Such excessive ownership can be driven by the fact that ≈70% of respondents are unaware of the recyclability of USB cables, and the knowledge of USB cable recyclability varies depending on age, income level, and awareness of recycling locations. To resolve the problem, 150 collection points are established throughout Hong Kong and successfully collected over 7 700 unwanted USB cables from the public. Additionally, workshops are conducted that raised public awareness by upcycling this emergent e-waste. This project highlights the urgent need to expand waste collection, promotion, and educational networks, with a particular focus on the elderly population.