A recent survey has revealed that each South Korean household possesses at least one unused mobile phone, along with an average of 11 chargers and cables for electronic appliances. (Image courtesy of Green Korea United)
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent survey has revealed that each South Korean household possesses at least one unused mobile phone, along with an average of 11 chargers and cables for electronic appliances.
On October 13, a day before International E-Waste Day, Green Korea United unveiled the results of a survey conducted with the participation of 285 individuals from 106 households to investigate trends in the use of electric and electronic appliances.
The survey showed that each household, on average, had a total of 63 electric and electronic devices.
The total count of electric and electronic devices across all households was 6,679. Of these, 73 percent (4,889 units) were in use, while 22 percent (1,469 units) remained unused despite being operational. Additionally, 5 percent (321 units) were reported as damaged or faulty.
Regarding mobile phones, each person said they owned an average of 1.62 devices. Out of the mobile phones owned by the survey participants, 105 remained unused despite being functional. This indicates that each household had, on average, one mobile phone that remained idle and unused.
The total count of chargers and cables was 1,238 units, averaging 11.67 per household. The average per-capita count of chargers and cables stood at 4.34. The reason for households possessing a significant number of chargers and charging cables is the variation in charger terminals and standards for each product.
Making it easier to facilitate repairs was identified as the most effective way to reduce e-waste. A total of 83 percent of the participants stated that they had experience repairing their own electric and electronic products.
When asked if they had experienced difficulty repairing electric and electronic products, 73 percent responded affirmatively, indicating they often or sometimes face challenges.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
