Is the Air fryer era… over? 

Nearly 800k air fryers are lying ghosted in UK kitchen cupboards.  For years now, the air fryer obsession has taken over our nation, with a jaw-dropping 20 million air fryers sizzling away across UK homes. However, research by Recycle Your Electricals has revealed that whilst a massive two thirds of UK adults now own one of the must-have appliances:

• 764,000 air fryers are sitting unused in the UK
•  1.5 million air fryers have already been thrown away

That’s over 2.25 million air fryers unused and thrown away which could instead have been donated or recycled. From hairdryers to air fryers, anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled, head to the Recycle Your Electricals’ Recycling Locator to find your nearest drop off point. 

Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus, the team behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign said: “If you’ve got an air fryer that is still working, and you no longer need it, or it’s broken. Try and sell them, try and donate them, and try to take them to be fixed. But definitely recycle them because the material that’s sat inside of them can do good somewhere else.” While these gadgets might have revolutionised our kitchens, they can go on to make huge changes elsewhere once recycled, “It’s full of steel, aluminum, plastics, sometimes ceramics, copper, it could be used in anything from life saving equipment to school playgrounds and the materials inside them could be made into new electricals.”

Findings from Recycle Your Electricals research show that:

• Estimated 20.9M air fryers in UK households
• Two thirds of adults (66%) have an air fryer at home, and 8% more than one. 
• Gen Z are most likely to have an air fryer at home (76%)
• 764,000 air fryers aren’t used with 1.5 million thrown away to create 2.26 million air fryers are being unused or thrown away that could otherwise be recycled.
• The main reasons for having bought an air fryer is because they’re easy to use (46%), and compared to an oven, are quicker (44%), and cheaper (44%).
• Most use their air fryers very frequently, with over four in five using their air fryers at least once a week (84%). 
• Around one in seven have an air fryer they use less often (16%), and a small minority have an air fryer they don’t use at all (4%).

Notes to Editors

For media enquiries please contact kate@materialfocus.org.uk mobile 07714 708416

Air Fryer research – Opinium research – Sample size 4,000, 2-7 May 2025, Nationally representative of the UK adult (18+) population

Material Focus is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old small electricals. Material Focus is delivering  the UK-wide Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The campaign is revealing the value hidden in electricals and is making it easier for us all to recycle and reuse the small electricals we no longer need by providing more recycling points as well as providing practical information on how households can recycle.

The campaign is funded by producers of electrical appliances. The UK government sets annual targets for the recycling of all waste electricals, including small electricals. If producers of electrical appliances don’t meet this target, then they contribute towards a fund (WEEE Fund) which pays for a range of activities, including communications, behaviour change activities, increased recycling projects and research. Ultimately the aim is to support actions that will help the UK increase the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electricals.