How Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub Tackle the UK's E-Waste Issue

With an astonishing 24kg of e-waste produced per person each year, the UK ranks second globally behind Norway. Addressing this growing environmental and social challenge, Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub joined forces to create the Time After Time Fund – an initiative targeting the dual crises of electronic waste and digital exclusion by supporting projects that repair, reuse and redistribute technology.

Launched in 2022 and now totalling £1m (US$1.3m) across 18 UK-wide projects, the scheme forms a key part of Virgin Media O2’s Better Connections Plan. The strategy aims to deliver 10 million circular actions by 2025 and connect one million digitally excluded people.

“Three years on, Virgin Media O2’s Time After Time Fund is showing circular tech in action,” says Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2. 

“When we launched the Fund with Hubbub in 2022, our ambition was to tackle two national challenges at once: the UK’s growing e-waste problem and the widening digital divide.

“The evidence is clear:

• “260,000+ people reached
• “Nearly 10,000 individuals engaged through repair workshops, donating, repairing and recycling devices
• “8,000+ devices repaired, reused or recycled
• “60%+ of donated tech redistributed directly to people who need it.”

Circular economy in motion

Projects under the Time After Time Fund have now reached over 268,000 people, with nearly 10,000 actively engaging through workshops and repair initiatives. Outcomes include 6,649 items reused or redistributed, 438 people trained in repair skills that led to jobs or volunteering roles and 92 million media impressions driving awareness nationwide.

So far, nearly 8,000 electricals have been repaired, reused or recycled. More than 60% of donated smartphones and tablets have been redistributed to those most in need and 400 individuals have completed tech repair training.

Dana Haidan will discuss these results and the growing role of circular technology at Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit, joining the panel on Circularity & Recycling.

Diverse innovation across the UK

The initiative has supported a wide range of community-led tech projects nationwide.

• Single Homeless Project (London) provided digital skills training and rehomed smartphones and laptops to homeless individuals – helping nearly 200 people earn AQA qualifications.

• SOFEA (Oxfordshire) refurbished and distributed 1,432 devices through three hubs, sourcing over 2,200 from businesses and communities to support study and wellbeing.

• Youth & Community Connexions (North London) hosted workshops that repaired 327 items and recycled 607, collaborating with local businesses for drop-off points.

• Screen Share trained 47 young refugees in trauma-informed laptop repair and redistributed almost 800 devices nationally.

• Sustainable Hive CIC (Bristol) engaged 1,859 students in repair workshops, dismantling and fixing 177 items.

• The Warren Youth Project (Hull) refurbished 48 laptops and diverted 870 kg of waste.

• Coventry City Council’s #CovConnects programme provided 1,555 devices to vulnerable residents via NHS and university partnerships.

• Treverbyn Community Trust’s Mobile Repair Cafés repaired 176 items for 1,300 participants, inspiring regional expansion.

“This matters now more than ever,” Dana says. 

“The UK generates 24kg of e-waste per person each year, the second-highest globally. Meanwhile, 1.5 million people still lack access to essential devices. Giving technology a second or third life doesn’t just cut waste, it saves resources, reduces manufacturing impacts, creates green jobs, builds local capability and connects people who would otherwise be left behind.

“The Fund has shown one thing unequivocally: circular tech isn’t just waste management, it’s economic and social opportunity. And with the right policy environment, we can scale it nationwide.”

Circular tech at Sustainability LIVE

Dana Haidan joined Virgin Media O2 in November 2022 as Chief Sustainability Officer, where she leads delivery of the company’s ESG strategy, the Better Connections Plan. The plan reflects a long-term commitment to using connectivity as a force for systemic change – for both people and the planet – alongside responsible business governance and transparent reporting.

She continues to champion the Time After Time Fund, enabling projects that deliver meaningful social impact through repair initiatives, device redistribution and training – all aligned with Virgin Media O2’s net zero by 2040 ambition.

Before joining Virgin Media O2, Dana held senior sustainability leadership positions at Visa Europe and Vodafone, focusing on harnessing technology for sustainable growth. She holds a BSc in Business from Carnegie Mellon University, a Postgraduate degree in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University and an MSc in Sustainable Urban Development from Oxford University.

On Day 2 of the Net Zero Summit, Dana will share corporate insights into circularity on the Circularity & Recycling panel.

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