‘Fixpart’ is waging war as retail giants such as Amazon and Apple are criticized for not doing enough about electronic products ending up in landfills
What do you do when your TV stops working or your food processor starts blinking? Maybe you just use it up and buy a new one.
The UK is the world’s second largest producer of electrical and electronic waste, with 500 million items going to landfill every year. By the end of the year, we are expected to be at the top of this useless ranking.
It’s estimated that households throw away £800 worth of electronics every year, with almost half of that going straight to landfill.
But now, thanks to a growing number of ‘fixed parts’, the UK is starting to fight a throwaway culture. Buying refurbished isn’t just better for the planet, it’s also better for your wallet and could save you hundreds of dollars. Curry’s repair lab is now the largest in Europe, although some retailers such as Amazon and Apple have been criticized for not doing enough. I went there to learn more about how broken technology can be saved from the scrap heap.
Nearly 3 million products pass through these doors each year for repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. We also have millions of spare parts in our library to ensure we can repair more items in the future.
David Rosenberg, Director of Service Operations, is leading the fight against throwaway culture. he said to me: “We know that e-waste is a challenge, so while we believe in the benefits that new technology brings, we cannot just keep buying new without thinking about what to do with the e-waste we already have. I also know what not to do. Or old items.”
Walking through his 500,000 sq ft warehouse in Newark, Nottinghamshire, he explains that any old technology has value, even if it’s just an old laptop gathering dust in the back of a cupboard.
David added: “All the components can be harvested as parts, which is very convenient because other similar products can be repaired. We always recommend it.” For parts that are difficult to trace, they are replicated using state-of-the-art 3D printers.
A broken vacuum cleaner switch was being made while I was there. A demo in the TV section shows that instead of replacing the entire screen, you can just replace a small broken bar.
David explains that before this technology was available, many older products could not be fixed. However, in 2022 the repair lab he carried out over 800,000 individual repairs.
He said: “Gone is the idea that technology is disposable. We believe in the idea that nothing is wasted.” Through Currys’ Cash for Trash scheme, old technology is available for reuse or recycling. customers will receive a £5 store voucher.
Curry’s removes reusable parts, dusts them off and either resells them or donates them to charity. The average UK household owns around 25 electronic devices. Around 20% of electronic devices in the UK are hoarded or stored in the home.
In 2020 alone, the UK generated approximately 24.9 million discarded mobile phones. Recycling one million mobile phones can yield around 16 tonnes of copper, 350 kg of silver, 34 kg of gold and 15 kg of palladium. The average age of a kettle in the UK is 4-5 years.
Big retailers aren’t the only ones helping to stop products from ending up in landfills. The Share and Repair Shop in Bath, Somerset, is an example of a community supporting residents by ‘reducing, repairing and reusing’.
The first pop-up cafe was created in 2017 after founder Lorna Montgomery, 66, struggled to fix her kettle. she says: “My neighbor, who is now one of the repairmen, looked at the kettle and said, ‘Wow, I could fix it if I had the tools.'” Four and a half years later, here we are. I never thought I would open a shop in. ”
Only two part-time general managers are listed as employees, and the charity relies on an army of 150 volunteers. France went a step further and paid a “repair bonus” to anyone who repaired a broken shoe, tore a pair of pants or replaced a lost shirt button. Since October, people have been able to claim up to €7 (£6) for heel repairs and up to €25 (£21.40) for clothing repairs carried out by garment factories and shoe shops participating in the scheme. Became.
It is modeled after France’s “repair bonus” for home appliances. The UK does not yet have a system comparable to the French system.
But Austria also offers it, as does the German state of Thuringia and the US city of Portland, Oregon. So a restoration revolution could be just around the corner for us too.