Britons are expected to buy almost 8 million electrically powered mini fans in 2026 as repeated heatwaves drive demand for cheap cooling, but recycling campaigners warn that nearly half of these low-quality devices will be discarded within a year. Waste managers and the campaign group Material Focus have raised concerns because the throwaway "fast-tech" items contain lithium-ion batteries that pose fire and environmental risks when disposed of incorrectly, and because their mass production consumes scarce critical raw materials.

Online searches for handheld fans, which sell for as little as £2, have already exceeded the whole of 2025's total in the first six months of this year, with a late-June heat surge more than doubling Google searches month on month. Retailers reported sharp spikes: Joybuy said fan sales rose more than 2,500% week on week, Currys saw a near-3,000% jump over the hottest weekend, and John Lewis's £15 neck fan more than tripled in sales. Material Focus, which found 55% of mini fans were binned last year, urges shoppers to choose better-quality products or alternatives such as paper fans, and to use recycling facilities or retailer take-back schemes rather than kerbside bins.