The E-Waste Tipping Point: Microsoft’s Windows 10 Support Ends, and 400 Million PCs Could Become Waste

While this might seem like just another software update, the implications are far-reaching. It’s estimated that up to 400 million PC’s – nearly half of all Windows computers – will be left unsupported, potentially turning them into electronic waste (e-waste) overnight.

This is not an accident; it’s by design – planned obsolescence. They’ve chosen to do this on the same day as International E-Waste Day, and in the same week that the World celebrates International Repair Day on 18th October.

In the same week when the world is reflecting on reducing waste and repairing what we have, a major software company is effectively nudging millions toward disposal. It is a clear sign that major tech companies put profit over planet every single time and quite frankly, enough is enough.

The Scale of the Problem

E-waste is classified as anything with a plug or battery that is no longer needed, and it is the world’s fastest-growing solid waste stream.

Every year, the UK generates around 6 million tonnes of e-waste – devices discarded, forgotten, or abandoned before their useful life is truly over. Many of these items still contain valuable materials (metals such as gold, silver and copper, rare earths, plastics) as well as toxic components (lead, mercury, cadmium). Yet we recover only a fraction of them.

• Only about 31% of UK e-waste is formally recycled (BusinessWaste.co.uk)

• On a per-capita basis, the UK is the second-highest producer of e-waste globally: in 2022, Britons generated 23.9 kg per person. (lumenloop.co.uk)

• 25 million mobile phones are discarded every year

This high disposal rate has serious consequences: e-waste contributes heavily to what is estimated to be 70% of all toxic waste globally. (CollectandRecycle.com)

When you add the 400 million PCs that could become obsolete due to Microsoft’s decision, on top of these numbers, this could generate over 700 million kg of e-waste, adding to the 62 billion kg of e-waste produced globally each year.

These devices aren’t broken; they’re functional but unsupported, pushing users toward premature disposal.

The Repair Movement Providing Glimmers of Hope

Despite the challenges, there is reason for optimism. Around the UK and beyond, individuals, groups, and business ventures are pushing back – showing that circularity is possible.

Repair as Resistance & Empowerment

International Repair Day promotes the idea that repair skills and communities are critical to resisting premature obsolescence. When we can fix a device rather than replace it, we cut waste, save money, and preserve resources.

Movements such as right-to-repair advocate for legal frameworks that force manufacturers to provide parts, schematics, tools, or software support. Several countries are now considering, or have adopted, reparability or durability laws (though the UK is still catching up).

Technological & Industrial Innovation for Recycling

The UK has always been home to innovators and entrepreneurs. Thankfully, these minds are turning to solutions that can help tackle the mountains of waste we are producing through recycling and brilliant businesses are starting to make progress.

• The Royal Mint has opened a facility in South Wales to recover gold from discarded circuit boards – demonstrating how e-waste can become a resource. Did you know? – Recycling one tonne of circuit boards can contain up to 800 times more gold – and 30 to 40 times more copper – than can be mined from one tonne of ore.

• On the policy front, the UK’s WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations and broader Circular Economy strategies encourage producers to design for recycling, increase collection targets, and take more responsibility.

Consumer Power & Collective Pressure

We, as consumers, are not helpless. In fact, we have incredible power to shift corporate behaviour if we choose to use it.

We have seen success already in Europe with Right to Repair’s campaign to stop Microsoft from ending its support for Windows 10. Within a few weeks of the campaign launching, Microsoft announced a plan to extend support for a further year within the EEA. It is not enough, but it’s proof that when we as consumers take a stand and demand better, they are listening. We just need to keep pushing…

Here’s what we can all do to have an impact:

1. Vote with your wallet:

• Start buying second-hand or at least buy new from brands that commit to longevity, repairability, modular design, and transparent sustainability goals.

• Push for transparency: ask manufacturers how long they support devices, what their recycling claims are, and how design decisions factor in repairability.

• Promote or join boycott or shame campaigns when companies deliberately engineer short lifespans or cut off support.

2. Support and participate in repair:

• Fix your device by contacting one of We Are Repairs’ fabulous small electrical repairers
• Visit repair cafes, community fix-it events, or tool libraries

3. Advocate for stronger policy:

• Write to your MP, local council, or regulators pushing for right-to-repair laws, mandatory update lifetimes, and producer responsibility.
• Support NGOs, campaigns, and coalitions, such as The Restart Project, focused on e-waste, repair, and circular electronics.
• Lobby for legislation that limits forced obsolescence and mandates longer update lifetimes or repair support.

4. Recycle responsibly:

• Drop off electronics and batteries at certified collection points, rather than tossing them in general waste.
• Donate or resell fully functional devices instead of discarding them – check out We Are Repairs Small Electricals Donate and Recycle page to find one near you.
• Encourage local councils and businesses to expand collection and recycling capacity.

Looking Ahead: A More Circular Digital Age

The convergence of Microsoft’s Windows 10 sunset with E-Waste Day and Repair Day is more than symbolic – it’s a timely reminder that digital life, hardware, and environmental responsibility are tightly intertwined.

Yes, we face a daunting e-waste mountain. But we are also witnessing a culture shift: repair is becoming a point of pride, not shame. Circular business models, reuse-first thinking, and active consumer demand for sustainability are gaining ground.

If enough of us push for change, from community workshops to regulatory reform to market signals, we can bend the trajectory:

• We can turn e-waste from a liability into an asset.

• We can force Big Tech to design for durability, repairability, and longevity.

• We can support the UK economy and local high street repair business

• We can reclaim control over our devices and our planet.

So this October, as the clocks turn and Windows 10 reaches its official end of free support in the UK, let’s spark momentum for a future in which fewer devices are wasted, more are repaired, and corporate power is balanced by collective demand for a sustainable digital future.