Once hailed as the kitchen revolution that would change the way we cook forever, air fryers have become one of the most sought-after appliances in the UK. With nearly 21 million of them sizzling in British homes, it’s safe to say the craze isn’t slowing down. Or is it?
New research from Recycle Your Electricals reveals a surprising twist in the air fryer love story: 2.26 million air fryers are currently either unused or have already been binned—despite being packed with valuable materials that could easily be recycled.
According to the study, two thirds of UK adults (66%) now own an air fryer, and Gen Z leads the charge, with a whopping 76% ownership rate. While most people use theirs at least once a week (84%), there’s a growing pile of air fryers gathering dust: 764,000 sit unused in cupboards, and a further 1.5 million have already been thrown away.
It’s a worrying figure, not just because of the waste, but because of the missed opportunity to recycle them. Air fryers, like any other electrical appliance with a plug, battery, or cable, are recyclable and full of precious materials—think steel, copper, aluminium, ceramics, and high-grade plastic—which could be repurposed into life-saving medical devices, school playgrounds or even new tech.
Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus, the team behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, urges households to take action:
“If you’ve got an air fryer that is still working, you no longer need it. Try and sell it, try and donate it—definitely recycle it. The material that’s sat inside of them can do good somewhere else.”
So, whether your air fryer was an impulse lockdown purchase or it’s simply lost its novelty, now’s the time to do the right thing. Use the Recycle Your Electricals’ Recycling Locator to find your nearest drop-off point and keep those materials in circulation.
Let’s make sure these once-beloved gadgets don’t just sit forgotten in the cupboard—or worse, end up in landfill.
