UK Tech Hoards Revealed: 184 Million Vintage Pieces Worth £7 Billion

Why Your Basement Is Basically a Treasure Trove of Cold Hard Cash

Turns out every house in the UK is practically a mini‑museum of outdated gadgets, worth a whopping £7 billion. Yes, that’s the kind of money that could fund a fancy vacation or a decent new phone.

How Many of These Tech Stash‑Holdings?

7 gadgets on average per household.
Almost 1 in 3 families clutching a pre‑iPhone laptop (28 %).
Another 27 % guard an old TV or digital camera.
Phantom brick‑style phones from the 90s – over 3 million still survive.

The Cash‑Pot Behind Your Dust‑Covered Devices

Unused laptops: £2 billion
Recycled televisions: £900 million
Digital cameras: £2 billion
DVD players: £133 million

Why Do We Keep All That Litter?

It’s a mix of sentimental keepsakes, laziness, privacy concerns, and the hope that one day the gadget might be functional.

15 % have a tech that’s over ten years old.
Nearly 1 million households toy with a fax machine.
Almost 4 million houses stash VHS players like disco balls.
39 % say “I’m waiting for it to be useful again.”
23 % are too lazy to get rid of it.
19 % worry about personal data slipping out.
21 % are clueless about how to properly recycle.
17 % keep gadgets out of sentimental attachment.

The Mobile Phone Menace

There are 35 million mobile phones stored away, with 22 million smartphones alone worth about £1 billion.

Where to Sell and What You Can Earn

Think of eBay as your digital barter shop.

Average: £285 for a working iPhone X.
MusicMagpie would fetch around £220.
Trading with a mobile provider: only £162.

Apple phones love to hold their value. A once‑top‑end iPhone drops 39 % in a year. In contrast, the Samsung A5 plummets a jaw‑dropping 71 %.

Do We Think About the Environment When Buying New?

Only 14 % consider recyclability.
Just 13 % think about the environmental impact.
And 63 % weigh its longevity first.
Fewer than 18 % care about the gadget’s value over time.

Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice

Uswitch.com is urging folks to donate old mobiles to Recycle Your Electricals – an organization that reclaims precious metals from every device and guides you to the nearest recycling center.

Voices from the Trenches

“Millions are hoarding tech worth thousands,” says Ru Bhikha of Uswitch.com.
“And donating these gadgets could feed someone else or save the planet.” 

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, chimes in:
“Recycling isn’t just good for the environment; it’s a cash‑in‑the‑bank for the metal inside. Don’t let your junk pile become another landfill victim.” 