Everyone has a story of a broken gadget. Sorry, I’m referring to the plural of gadgets. From the ineffective buzzing electric toothbrush in the bathroom to the mini food chopper Panic that I bought during the first long lockdown that now won’t turn on, nothing seems to last long these days.
I don’t waste it, I don’t want it
Research by the Green Alliance campaign shows that two-thirds of people are regularly dissatisfied with products that break before they fail. No wonder the UK is on track to overtake Norway this year and become the world’s largest e-waste producer, according to U-Switch research using data from the Global E-Waste Monitor report . We generate about 24kg of electrical junk per person.
The right to repair: The movement gains momentum
Under the UK’s existing Right to Repair legislation, introduced in 2021, manufacturers are required to offer specialist repairs for certain products, with access to spare parts and technical information. Activists say the law does not go far enough. “Making parts available only to professional repairers does not define a right to repair,” said Libby Peek, head of resource policy at the Green Alliance. The EU is making progress in making repairs affordable for consumers on a wide range of products, including mobile phones.
A personal story of repair and resilience
Back in the kitchen, the honorable exception to my own e-waste mound is my trusty dual-lit toaster, whose heating element is easy to replace when it breaks. Despite its challenges, my journey led me to the local Repair Café, part of a 2,500-strong umbrella organization founded in the Netherlands. So my blender was fixed and my belief in repair over replacement was restored. Nunhead Repair Cafe has helped 686 people since its launch in January 2022, with 68 per cent of the items brought in repaired.
Encouraged by the (semi-)professional repair of my blender, I decided it was time to have someone other than my husband take a look at the toaster. The decision to repair rather than replace not only extends the lifespan of your gadgets by years, but also contributes to a more sustainable world where e-waste is the exception rather than the default.