Everyone has a broken gadget story. Sorry, I mean gadgets, plural. Nothing seems to last these days, from the electric toothbrush whirring ineffectually in my bathroom to the mini food chopper panic purchased during that first, long lockdown, which now won’t turn on.
Waste Not, Want Not
Two thirds of people are regularly frustrated by products that break before they should, according to research by Green Alliance, a campaign group. No wonder the UK is on track to become the world’s biggest producer of e-waste this year, overtaking Norway, according to a research by U-Switch, using data from a Global E-Waste Monitor report. We generate around 24kg of electrical junk per capita.
Right to Repair: A Movement Gains Momentum
Under the UK’s existing Right to Repair legislation, introduced in 2021, manufacturers have to provide professional repairs with access to spare parts and technical information but only for certain goods. Campaigners say the law doesn’t go far enough. “Making parts available only to professional repairers is not something that we would define as right to repair,” says Libby Peake, head of resources policy at Green Alliance. The EU is making strides by granting consumers better access to affordable repairs for a wider range of products, including mobile phones.
A Personal Tale of Repair and Resilience
Back in my kitchen, the honourable exception to my own e-waste mound is my trusty Dualit toaster, easy to replace when a heating element breaks. Despite the challenges, my journey leads me to a local Repair Cafe, part of a 2,500-strong umbrella organisation started in the Netherlands. There, my blender is fixed, and my faith in repair over replacement is restored. The Nunhead Repair Cafe has helped 686 people since launching in January 2022, with 68 per cent of items brought in being fixed.
Buoyed by the fixing of my blender by a (semi)professional, I decide it is time to get my toaster looked at by someone other than my husband. The decision to repair rather than replace adds not only years to the life of my gadgets but also contributes towards a more sustainable world, one where electronic waste is not the default, but an exception.