• Boxing Day began as a tradition of giving boxes of gifts or money to workers and the poor. Today, it is mostly about relaxing with family, eating Christmas leftovers, watching sports, or chasing shopping sales. 

December 26 is Boxing Day. As homes fill with new gadgets this festive season, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reminds us that it’s worth remembering what happens to the old ones.

“Phones, fridges, or laptops don’t just disappear. The world generates 62 million tonnes of e‑waste every year, and unless we act, the pile will keep growing,” says UNEP.

Smarter design, stronger rules, and better recycling can help but only if governments, businesses, and consumers take responsibility.

Boxing Day began as a tradition of giving boxes of gifts or money to workers and the poor. Today, it is mostly about relaxing with family, eating Christmas leftovers, watching sports, or chasing shopping sales. 

Yet this modern ritual carries a hidden cost. Every new device bought in the frenzy of festive discounts adds to the mountain of discarded electronics, and the consequences are devastating.

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Electronic waste harms the environment by releasing toxic substances, polluting soil and water, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. When dumped in landfills or burned, lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic leach into groundwater, poisoning crops and drinking water.

Informal recycling practices such as burning wires to extract metals release dangerous fumes such as dioxins and furans, choking communities with toxic air. Furthermore, e‑waste squanders valuable resources like gold, copper, and rare earth metals, fueling destructive mining elsewhere.

The human toll is worse. Communities near informal recycling hubs suffer the worst impacts, with children exposed to toxic dust and families facing neurological damage, cancers, and long‑term health risks.

What should be a season of generosity risks becoming a season of waste and harm. Boxing Day reminds that accountability should reign even when giving. If nations overhaul how electronics are designed, manufactured, recycled, and disposed of, we can celebrate joy without leaving behind a toxic legacy.

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