Just hang on to your old controller – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Earth Day 2023: green or greenwashed?

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Just hang on to your old controller.

If it still works, keeping it for longer is better for the environment than buying a new one — even if the new controller is made with recycled plastic like this one. Microsoft released this Remix Special Edition Xbox controller ahead of Earth Day 2023, boasting that it’s made “partlywith reclaimed materials like old water jugs and parts from other controllers.

The key word is “partly.” Only one-third of the controller is made with recycled material. That’s because plastic quality deteriorates with each use, so it’s really difficult to make a device using entirely or even mostly recycled plastic. It has to be reinforced with virgin material, which just means more plastic manufacturing and waste in the end.

Remix Special Edition Xbox controller, with various green, blue, and brown highlights to show off its environmentally-conscious design, even though it’s only partly made of recycled plastic material.
The Remix Special Edition Xbox controller
Image: Microsoft
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