Britons to buy 8m mini fans this year – but almost half will end up in landfill

Britons are expected to buy nearly 8m mini fans this year, but almost half are likely to end up in landfill within a year, according to campaign group Material Focus, raising concerns over a surge in disposable “fast-tech” driven by heatwaves. The late June heat surge caused Google searches for handheld fans to more than double on the month before, according to data sourced by Material Focus [1]. Electrical goods retailers confirmed a sharp increase in demand. Online specialist Joybuy said sales of all electrical fans were up more than 2,500% week on week during last month’s heatwave, and the Chinese group fuelled the trend by giving away 6,000 fans free at London transport hubs [1]. John Lewis said sales of its £15 neck fan more than tripled, while the boss of Currys admitted fans were in short supply after sales rose almost 3,000% over the hottest weekend compared with a week earlier [1]. Currys, formed in part from the merger of Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse Group, now operates as Currys plc [4]. Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, described mini fans as “one of the poster children of fast-tech” that “first appeared en masse last year” [1]. He urged consumers to seek better-quality products or alternatives such as paper fans and to take broken items to a local recycling facility [1]. “With a bit more thought, we could buy an item that could last a bit longer, work just as well but be better for the environment,” Butler said [1]. Last year the group calculated that 55% of mini fans were thrown away, and as it expects about 7.9m to be bought in the UK in 2026, 4.3m are likely to be thrown away this year if last year’s habits continue [1]. Temperatures in the UK could exceed 30C for up to 10 consecutive days from the middle of this week, with peak temperatures of 34C forecast [1]. Richard Hudson, policy and technical manager at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, warned that electrical items incorrectly disposed of in kerbside recycling or residual waste collections can cause problems for waste handlers [1]. “These items get crushed and damaged during the collection rounds, and as they contain high-powered lithium-ion batteries, they can then easily catch fire, causing serious risks to workers, equipment, waste facilities and the wider environment,” Hudson said [1]. He added that the mass production of cheap, low-quality electrical items that are neither designed for longevity nor end-of-life management is “a big user of scarce critical raw materials” [1].