NJ Needs A ‘Right To Repair’ Law For Electronic Devices, Advocates Say

It’s a frustration that many New Jersey residents can understand: tossing yet another expensive electronic item in the garbage.

The more that the electronics we use in our daily lives become connected, the more we’re vulnerable to the software that runs those products expiring, advocates with the NJPIRG Law and Policy Center say.

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The center recently updated its Electronic Waste Graveyard in an attempt to highlight just how much waste is being created. The online database tracks how many otherwise-usable smart appliances, phones and other devices people have to trash because the software has expired or lost support.

It’s a big number, advocates said.

Combined with the group’s initial 130-million-pound estimate from last year’s analysis, the 2026 Electronic Waste Graveyard’s running total now exceeds 1.7 billion pounds of potential e-waste.

Some recent devices that have been added to the list include:

• Windows 10 (PCs) – “Up to 400 million PCs are hardware-incapable of running Windows 11 but otherwise fully functional”
• Kindle (older models from 2007–2012) – “E-readers still display and hold a charge, but can no longer buy, download or sync books, including from public libraries”
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 family, S20 FE – “Phones remain functional but will stop receiving security updates”

“Tech should be made to last, but all too often, devices that should keep working are forced into the junk pile,” said Meghan Smith, an organizer with PIRG.

“When we have to replace devices that we should be able to keep using, update or fix, it fuels our massive and growing electronic waste problem,” Smith said.

The report release coincides with a new effort by the group’s affiliate, NJPIRG, to bring “Right to Repair reforms” to New Jersey.

Advocates are calling for the state to require manufacturers to make the parts, tools and information necessary to repair modern electronics available to consumers and independent repair shops. Similar reforms have passed in 10 other states, and New Jersey legislators have debated the issue in recent years.

“The goal of our Right to Repair campaign is to challenge the trend toward throwaway tech. That means standing up to manufacturers when their actions leave our devices unworking or unfixable,” said Molly Pluta, who is directing the grassroots campaign office for NJPIRG, building support for Right to Repair reforms.

“It’s time to advance Right to Repair reforms in New Jersey to help our electronics avoid an early grave,” Pluta said. “Consumers, and the planet, deserve better.”

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