Most e-waste ends up in landfills or incinerators, but one tech enthusiast challenged that trend by saving and repurposing old hardware.
What happened?
In the r/homelab subreddit, the original poster said they had saved "a bunch of old Android boxes with the Amlogic S905X SoC" processor and put Armbian on them — a computer building framework. They then repurposed them as a low-power Linux ARM server.
The OP shared a photo of the device, along with a second one revealing its performance level and other stats after upgrading the software.
"This was great. I remembered i have 3 H96Pro+ in a box. they're not powerful enough as tiny media centers anymore ... but armbian installed pretty easily. New life for old toys," one user commented.
"I got one of these boxes but I believe a little older than this one, maybe I can repurpose it for something," another shared.
"Love this! I hope more people repurpose these boxes," someone else said.
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Why does e-waste matter?
The world produces an enormous amount of e-waste. According to The World Counts, the world has generated more than 19.4 million tons of electronic waste so far in 2025. Each year, around 40 million tons of e-waste are created globally — equivalent to throwing out 800 computers every second.
While e-waste makes up 70% of overall harmful waste, only around 12.5% is recycled. The remainder is sent to landfills or incinerators, producing planet-warming gases and leaching heavy metals into the soil.
Most electronic waste is shipped overseas to third-world countries, where women and children often work at informal recycling sites to handle discarded products. At these facilities, harmful materials such as lead, dioxins, and mercury are released, posing dangers to workers, especially children. The World Health Organization reported that e-waste exposure could be linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Additionally, the improper disposal of e-waste costs the global economy at least $57 billion per year because of valuable metals such as gold, copper, and iron going to waste, per Sircel. Recycled materials could be used to produce lithium batteries for cell phones, laptops, and electric vehicles, contributing to a circular economy.
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Google, which owns Android, has several initiatives to reduce e-waste, including a free recycling program for Google products and other electronics, and has a zero waste to landfill goal for its data centers.
In addition, the company refurbishes and reuses much of its hardware and other components. It even offers Android Enterprise work profiles, which allow businesses to separate work and personal data on a device, eliminating the need for separate corporate devices.
What else is being done about e-waste?
The startup Trashie offers electronics recycling with its Tech Take Back Box. When users send in unwanted gadgets, they get awesome rewards such as deals on dining, entertainment, and new technology.
In addition, Apple, Best Buy, and Target offer trade-in programs where customers can bring old electronics for store credit. If they're not eligible, the retailers recycle them free of charge. So if you go through your junk drawers and find electronics you haven't used in ages, you can make money off them while keeping the items out of landfills and the environment.
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