The percentage of electronics at the end of their lives which were recycled.
The EPA found that the percentage remained consistent from 1999-2005. Even as recycling rates went up, the amount of electronics reaching end of life outpaced the increase, leaving the figure static. (source: EPA, July 2008)
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The problem is not consumer education. The problem is that technology must return to the days of the "plug it in and it works" model.
You could send my 80 year old mother to school for a month and I would still get a call from her asking how to play a dvd on her tv. She's not dumb, she just has better things to do and no interest in technology.
She called and asked me about switching her phone service to Vonage. It took me 15 minutes to explain to her what that entailed. She still didn't have a complete grasp of the concept.
Until manufacturers and service providers realize that we must create technology that is as simple as plug it in and it works this sort of marketplace confusion will continue to impact adoption of newer formats.
"plug it in and it works"
To a degree. There will always be a need for components, but the model ought to be as simple as possible, especially at the low- to mid-range.
Look at the progression of Stereo. You had (still have) people who buy preamps and amps, tuners, CD players, equalizers, etc. They spend a lot of money and are picky about their sound. Most people just by an integrated set, and couldn't care less about most of the specs. They shove a CD in and the box figures it out and plays. One remote.
We need that. Perhaps the display is still separate, but it needs to be connected with one calbe to an integrated box that has all the other electronics. One remote. This means that a bunch of companies are going to have to cooperate (cable, sat, DVD, audio, display, etc). I'm not holding my breath