Thanks to research commissioned by OLX, we know for the first time how many unused phones, smartphones, games or televisions Poles keep at home. Their value is also known. In total, this amounts to about 565 million unused electronic devices, which are valued at about PLN 112 billion.
Waste electronic equipment stored at home is a growing global problem. According to estimates by the Global E-waste Monitor, by 2030 the value of electronic waste will increase by 32% compared to 2023 and will reach 82 million tons [1]. Previous estimates allowed us to assess how much of this type of equipment, for example, people from America or Great Britain have.
Thanks to opinion research conducted by SW Research on behalf of OLX, the scale of this phenomenon in Poland can be known for the first time. The results of the survey can be mind-boggling. Poles have an average of over 18 electronic devices at home that they do not use, and whose value they estimate at over PLN 6,000.
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“Przydasie”, or unused electronics in Polish homes
The most common category of devices lying in drawers are phones and smartphones. It is estimated that Poles have more than 2 of them on average. The majority of respondents (92%) declare that they have at least one unused phone, but a significant group (approx. 13%) have 5 or more. The second most popular category of unused electronics in Polish homes are computers and laptops. According to a study commissioned by OLX, 72% of households have at least one. Slightly fewer Poles, 66%, keep old toasters, irons, mixers or large household appliances. On the other hand, as many as 60% of respondents declare that they keep at least one unused television.
In total, Poles have approximately 565 million unused electronic devices at home, which are estimated to be worth approximately PLN 112 billion.
“When calculating the value of unused electronics that Poles have at home, we assumed that we were analyzing the declarations of people over 18 years of age. These calculations show that money frozen in inactive goods is equivalent to approx. 3% of Polish GDP,” comments Arkadiusz Kawa, professor at the Poznań University of Economics, president of the Special Purpose Vehicle of the Poznań University of Economics.
Poles have the most “frozen” money in unused televisions – an average of PLN 701, computers – PLN 691, household appliances – PLN 670 and telephones and smartphones – PLN 554.
What do Poles do with unused electronics?
Poles estimate that the value of unused equipment they have at home is around PLN 6,107. Selling it would be a significant cash injection. Meanwhile, as the results of the study show, this practice is not as widespread as one might expect. Almost one in five respondents leaves unused electronics at home, 12.5% recycle them, and 38% sell them. This behavior is reflected in OLX data – games and consoles, household appliances and photography – the equipment that, according to the respondents, is most common at home, were the 3 categories with higher increases on the supply side.
“The study we conducted shows that recycling electronics that we no longer use has become a standard for many of us. This is also reflected in our service data, where this category has been growing steadily. But our study points to another very important aspect of our behavior. It turns out that, in addition to economic factors, the greatest benefits of recycling unused electronics are those related to ecology,” says Kamil Szabłowski, PR Lead OLX.
How much do Poles spend on used electronics?
The forecasts regarding the growth of re-commerce are strongly supported by the declarations of Poles. We can also expect that the trade in used electronics will have a significant impact on this result. The study conducted on behalf of OLX shows that over 80% of respondents participated in this type of trade in the past year. The largest group were those who both bought and sold (35%) – 23.1% only sold, and 24.8% only bought.
And how much do you spend on second-hand electronics? Most often, these are transactions worth no more than PLN 200 per month (38% of respondents). Almost every third respondent declared spending between PLN 300 and PLN 500. Only 7% of respondents reported monthly second-hand electronics purchases worth more than PLN 500.
Based on research conducted by SW Research on behalf of OLX, April 2025, n=800.
[1] https://ewastemonitor.info/the-global-e-waste-monitor-2024/
