Running a current Linux system on hppa, alpha, or m68k isn’t about avoiding e-waste but about the hack value. If enjoying the hack value is your hobby, that’s ok per se. However, in practice, this often involves demanding that other busy people participate in your hobby when they don’t enjoy it as part of their hobby or job. That’s less ok.
i386 was easier to retire, because it had been a collective thing instead of someone having been very invested in it as a hobby.