‘Electronic Waste Graveyard’ lists over 100 tech products trashed by manufacturers

BOSTON– An interactive digital database reveals how much tech is trashed that should still work, such as Chromebooks, phones, and smart home devices, just because the software has expired or lost support. The database, Electronic Waste Graveyard, released on Thursday by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, lists more than 100 tech products that have stopped working after manufacturers dropped support. It calculates the total weight of all these dead devices, and allows consumers to sort by brand, category and type of lost support.

“Unless we spill water or drop something heavy on them, we expect devices we buy to keep working,” said Lucas Rockett Gutterman, the Designed to Last campaign director with U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “When software in our laptops, phones or smart home devices expires, consumers can get a nasty surprise when their purchase turns into an expensive paperweight.”

PIRG’s report, “Chromebook Churn” found that tens of thousands of laptops were being replaced by schools because the software had expired. When software expires, or web cloud services end, consumers and schools are pushed to replace devices that should still work. Windows 10 will expire in October 2025, leaving up to 400 million PCs that won’t be able to upgrade to the next version.

“The steady stream of e-waste is becoming a flood. While this is frustrating for consumers, it’s devastating for the planet. At the very least we need lifetime transparency for tech—we should know how long manufacturers guarantee the tech we buy will work before we buy it,“ said Janet Domenitz, Director of MASSPIRG Education Fund.