More than unwanted emails
It’s waste that costs money, energy, carbon, risk, and often is invisible until it causes scaling or compliance problems. A problem that’s largely ignored, UK businesses must consider digital waste because it’s not just an IT issue — it’s a hidden cost, a security risk, and a growing environmental concern that’s on par with other sustainability challenges. On average digtal waste has cost UK businesses an estimated £1.5 billion.
But what is digital waste in a business sense?
Digital waste extends far beyond discarded physical electronics, commonly known as e-waste, to encompass intangible, often overlooked, data and processes that consume resources without providing value. This distinction is crucial, as digital waste, unlike its physical counterpart, is largely invisible and abstract, residing within the complex infrastructure of data centers.
To put this into perspective: sending fifty 1MB emails daily emits as much CO2 as driving a kilometer, while the global accumulation of unused "dark data" alone generates up to 805,083 tons of carbon annually—the equivalent of over 934,000 flights from London to New York.
Unopened emails, old media files & app notifications
Unread emails on servers, social media & app notifications, unused photos, videos and documents.
Dark Data
Data that is collected, processed, and stored but is never re-used or analysed. Up to 60% of all stored data is "dark". This includes outdated employee or customer information, social media conversations, and customer service interactions that gather digital dust.
Duplicate back-ups & obsolete code
Outdated programming on live servers, redundant copies of data.
Cryptocurrency & crypto mining
Substantial energy consumption, resulting in high greenhouse gas emissions, and the generation of large volumes of ewaste.
Idle under-utilised "Zombie" servers
Powered-on servers doing no useful work or stored but unused / unanalysed data.
Unoptimised media files
Websites and apps using large files and files not optimised for web use. These take up additional server space and slow down website speeds.
Unused Apps/Ghost Websites
Inactive software/websites occupying server space.
Poorly optimsed VoIP Systems
Poorly optimised VoIP systems that over-utilise server space by indefinitely saving unnecessary call logs, call recordings, and attachments.
It's costing your business
Digital waste is already hitting UK businesses, councils, the NHS and B2B business through significant financial, environmental, and operational costs. Companies are burning capital on wasted employee time sorting through clutter, alongside cloud storage, bandwidth, and power costs required to maintain underloaded infrastructure.
Furthermore, this digital accumulation degrades overall IT performance by slowing down systems with redundant data noise, while simultaneously increasing compliance risks and data breach vulnerabilities under strict regulations like GDPR.
"Businesses are increasingly committing to net-zero targets. However, the invisible nature of digital waste often leads to an underestimation or oversight of its contribution to a company's total carbon footprint."
GDPR Risks
Underutilised cloud storage
Wasted time
Unmonitored file retention
Digital waste and the environment
Environmentally, keeping these unneeded and underutilised files on servers consumes vast amounts of electricity and water, directly driving up greenhouse gas emissions.
Businesses lose money through...
£34,000
per year
Wasted employee time
Due just to time spent opening, sorting & deleting spam.
£300 - £500
per month
Zombie servers
Operational costs for "Zombie Servers" - which are powered on but perform no useful function.
~ £35,000
per year
Poorly optimised systems
High-volume, repeated file access in cloud storage can lead to unsustainable egress bills.
£1.03 Billion
Fines imposed
Regulatory Fines
Meta received the highest fine ever imposed for a breach of privacy protection rules in the EU.
40% Overspend
per year
Poor resource allocation
Companies overspend on cloud resources by 35-40%.
£15,000 - £35,000
per year
Storage, server,
bandwidth costs
Wasted costs for keeping data that’s rarely or never accessed.
The financial figures provided above are illustrative estimates based on industry-standard data management benchmarks, average UK costs, and typical cloud storage expenditures for a mid-sized enterprise (50 to 249 employees). Actual costs may vary significantly depending on your organisation's specific sector, data-retention policies, choice of cloud or on-premise infrastructure, and total volume of accumulated data. These estimates are intended for informational and awareness-building purposes and should not be used as a definitive financial audit.
Counting Carbon
Read our Counting Carbon blog with highlighted news and articles from all over the world about AI, data centres, climate change and more.
What can we do?
For businesses, especially smaller ones without huge IT capacity, the burden of wasted digital resources eats into competitiveness. For public services: taxpayers may pay more for infrastructure, energy, cooling; risk of service disruptions; higher carbon footprint affecting net‑zero obligations.
Reducing digital waste not only supports sustainability goals but also fosters smarter, more responsible technology use across all sectors of society. By actively practicing "digital hygiene"—deleting obsolete files, clearing out old emails, and streamlining data systems — we can lower our global impact.
The benefits for business
Better for your business.
Companies adopting green IT solutions and energy-efficient data centers report operational cost reductions and revenue increases over three years driven by increased consumer trust. By reducing digital waste costs by £180,000 per year can deliver the equivalent profitability as generating £330,000 in new sales.
30%
Operational savings
Operational cost reduction
+20%
Financial savings
Revenue increase over 3 years
+66%
Reputation
Consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products
+60%
Energy efficiency
Companies report reduced energy consumption following digital waste reduction
Improved speeds
Operational efficiency
Faster back-ups and restores
Reduced cyber risks
Regulation
Better compliance and reduced security blind spots
Daily digital hygiene
Unused files on cloud storage, frequent server requests, and junk emails all burn real-world energy. By clearing out your digital clutter you quickly improve business efficiency, win back employee time and directly reduce the strain on our planet’s resources.
Small actions, big impact
Effect on the environment
Effect on our productivity
Digital Clean Up
15 Minutes Daily
Just 15 minutes per day to clean up your inbox, digital files and organise your cloud.
+ Water Saved
100 Million Litres
Save an estimated 75 to 100 million litres of water every month - that's 4 bottles of water per person
+ Carbon Saved
7,500 Tonnes
Save an estimated 5,000 to 7,500 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) every month
+ Electricty Saved
60 million kWh
Save an estimated 40 to 60 million kWh - enough power 15,000 British homes for a whole year
+ Better Mental Health
20–30% Lower micro-anxiety
A clean digital workspace eliminates the daily friction of navigating cluttered files and overflowing inboxes. Employers benefit from a clear-headed, confident workforce less prone to silent digital burnout.
+ Increased Productivity
Less brain fog & distractions
Minimising digital noise allows yout to unlock long, uninterrupted blocks of focus, improving output quality and faster project completion rates.
+ Improved Wellbeing
Healthy tech relationship
Cultivating a healthy digital culture reduces systemic stress and feelings of being overwhelmed for individuals, creating a more positive work atmosphere and improved staff retention rates.
+ Improved customer interactions
Customer's point of view
Clients experience faster response times and smoother interactions building trust and projecting a professional, reliable brand image.
Digital hygiene habits for business
Just 15 minutes daily is enough to have a real world impact not only on resources, but your mental health too. It can increase your productivity by reducing distrations - allowing you to concentrate for longer periods of time.
Friendly reminder: Always double-check your files and ensure you have a backup for important files before hitting delete. Read our full disclaimer here.
Who is it for?
Digital hygiene is for all businesses, small and large alike who are looking to improve their efficiency, make savings, improve empolyee wellbeing and operate in a more sustainable manner.
Local Councils
NHS
Community Organisations
Education Sectors
B2B
SMEs
*Larger companies should contact us for a more tailored approach to their digital waste.
Nominate someone to start their Dwindl challenge
A standard text email stored forever doesn't use much, but the average marketing email with images, trackers, and attachments consumes data and requires servers to stay active 24/7 to index it. Deleting 100 junk/old emails and unsubscribing from 5 active lists stops future data transfers.
By permanently deleting unused business apps and dormant accounts, companies eliminate hidden cloud subscription costs, clear out redundant server data, and significantly shrink their cybersecurity risks while boosting operational efficiency.
Recycling, reusing, or repurposing old hardware drastically reduces electronic waste and slashes the need for carbon-intensive mining of raw materials, while simultaneously lowering corporate procurement costs and boosting a business’s green credentials.
Those ID docs, records and office files stored on the cloud requires "hot storage" (servers running constantly to keep them instantly accessible). Deleting 1 GB of unused documents saves around 0.2 kWh of electricity annually in maintenance and server cooling.
A smartphone user receives up to 60 to 80 notifications a day. Minimising digital noise allows you to stay focused for longer, produce better quality work and faster.
Calculate your
digital impact
Our Digital Impact Calculator will display your savings based on your clean-up actions.
Disclaimer: These figures are estimates based on average UK digital populations, data transfer rates, and carbon/water intensity metrics, intended for illustrative purposes to show the collective impact of digital cleanup.
26
Companies shared their savings.
So far collectively we saved...
Electricity Saved
6,757,456
Wh
Water Saved
5,592,464
ML
CO2e Saved
3,171,296
Emissions g
E-Waste Re-used
21
Items diverted from landfill
Hours of focus
470.6
Distraction-free time
Committing to daily digital hygiene habits helps to streamline and cuts down on file clutter, directly granting employees longer blocks of uninterrupted time to focus without the distraction of constant digital noise.
Success Stories
Read our highlighted blogs and positive tech news from around the globe - because we want a digital world that serves our future, without costing the planet.
Social news
Digital waste in social media. Join the digital waste revolution #LetsDwindl
Impact on:
Read more about the impact of digital waste on our environment, water, the grid and other resources.
The impact of AI
AI is already being used across UK, from big business, local councils to policing and the NHS. But without clear oversight and clean digital operations, the risks will grow.
Data centres and our water resources
The massive cooling demands of data centres processing our digital waste consume billions of litres of fresh water daily, heavily straining local watersheds and intensifying global water scarcity.
The hidden carbon footprint
Digital waste is far from carbon neutral; it consumes significant electricity and resources.
The relentless expansion of data centres to process our digital waste is placing an unprecedented strain on electricity grids and consuming vast amounts of water for cooling, significantly driving up the global carbon footprint.
tools
Which tools to use reduce your digital waste
Digital waste affects everyone, which is why our solutions are built for every tier of society. We partner with and provide specialised tracking tools for: Public Sector & Infrastructure, B2B and B2C private enterprises and individuals looking to clear their digital clutter and reduce their personal carbon footprint.
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Make a bigger impact
The more people that know about digital waste the bigger the impact we can have. Join our sustainable digital revolution #letsDwindl
The benefits of reducing digital waste
Better for the environment.
Reducing digital waste not only supports sustainability goals but also fosters smarter, more responsible technology use across all sectors of society.
Regularly optimising storage systems
Recycling outdated hardware
Reduce energy consumption
Shrink
carbon footprint
Conserve water
Better
mental
health
Sustainable Digital Ecosystem
Electricity Use
19,000 GWh
Per year, equivalent to the entire annual output of the UK's solar power sector
Water Use
26 million litres
Per year for small data centres
Global Carbon Footprint
805,083 tonnes
Produced annually, from unused or underutilised digital files
E-Waste
62 million tonnes
Produced globally in 2022, an 82% increase from 2010