What is an easy way to teach e-waste and the environmental impact of computing in KS3?
What is an easy way to teach e-waste and the environmental impact of computing in KS3?
Teach it by making the “invisible” physical first: data centres and networks use electricity, most device emissions happen during manufacturing and global e-waste is growing fast.
What pupils need to understand
Why does “the cloud” have an environmental impact?
Because cloud services run on physical servers in data centres that use electricity and cooling.
What is e-waste?
E-waste is discarded electrical and electronic equipment such as phones, laptops, chargers and cables.
Where is the biggest footprint in many devices?
For many devices, a large share of lifetime emissions comes from manufacturing and shipping rather than day-to-day electricity use.
Quick facts you can quote in lessons
ICT sector emissions: often estimated at around 1.5% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Electricity use: data centres and data transmission networks accounted for around 1% to 1.5% of global electricity demand in 2022.
Global e-waste: 62 million tonnes generated in 2022.
Documented recycling: 22.3% of e-waste in 2022 was properly collected and recycled.
Low-prep classroom tasks
Easy teaching sequence
Make the physical infrastructure visible.
Emphasise manufacturing and e-waste.
Use one short task to move from facts to practical decisions.
FAQs
Is streaming really “bad for the environment”?
Streaming uses electricity through devices, networks and data centres. The impact depends on viewing habits, device type and video quality.
What can schools do about e-waste?
Create a simple process: repair, refurbish, donate, securely wipe then use certified recycling for anything that cannot be reused.
What is “dark data”?
Dark data is data that organisations store but do not use. Storing and moving data still uses electricity.
Read more
For the full set of facts, classroom tasks and lesson-ready explanations, use: https://nicholawilkin.com/post/teach-computing-e-waste-environmental-impact
International Energy Agency, data centres and networks: https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks
The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (ITU/UNITAR): https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Environment/Pages/Publications/The-Global-E-waste-Monitor-2024.aspx
UK government guidance on EEE producer responsibility (WEEE): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electrical-and-electronic-equipment-eee-producer-responsibility
