One of the biggest environmental impacts we make is in the stuff we buy. Everything we own was at some point mined or grown, refined, manufactured, assembled, and probably shipped across the world multiple times. And then, when we’re done with it, we throw it out, and it either gets buried in landfill or incinerated to fill the atmosphere.
One area this really stands out is with electronic waste or e-waste. Electronics often use rare minerals and metals, and when they get thrown out those valuable resources rarely get recovered. I fervently hope that the world gets better at recycling items like these – it will need some combination of technology, political change and absurdly high raw materials prices for us to get there, though, and meanwhile there’s a lot we can do ourselves.
We are all part of a culture that expects the gadgets we buy to be useful for only a little while before they break and need to be replaced by something new and shiny. Phones are expected to last maybe 3 years, laptops maybe 5 years, white goods maybe just about 10 years if you’re lucky. That’s great for manufacturers who want us to keep buying our stuff, but terrible for the environment. Thankfully there are ways we can rebel against this planned obsolescence – and it has the advantage of saving time and money and building your skills while you’re at it. – Thomas Jones
Checklist
Oh no! Your phone/laptop/fridge/tv/[insert gadget here] is broken! Whatever shall you do?
- Can you fix it? Lots of household items have common problems with common fixes. You can replace broken screens on phones, worn out joysticks on a Nintendo controller, a broken wing mirror on a car with very little expertise depending on the model. More on this below.
- If you can’t fix it, can you get a new one second-hand? You can get excellent refurbished laptops and phones from websites like Stone Refurb and Backmarket. You can often get high-quality second-hand white goods on Ebay. Anything you buy second hand doesn’t need to be mined, grown, manufactured or shipped a second time! And it’s often cheaper too!
- If it absolutely has to be new, think about how you can get something that will last a long time. Not everything is equally repairable. Some models of phones are infamous for being glued shut in such a way that it’s difficult to repair them, but all brands are by no means equal. Websites like Which can tell you a lot about the quality of an item before you buy it, and iFixit.com will give a repairability score for most models, so be sure to check these out before you commit to something. Just like a good pair of shoes might last you years and be better value for money than several pairs of cheap shoes that don’t last the season.
On repairing things yourself
There are a few things to keep in mind when you have a broken gadget you want to repair.
- If you don’t already know how to fix it, find a repair guide. Ifixit has lots of these. Youtube is also filled to the brim with this genre of video where some expert shows you how to replace the headlamps of your exact model of car, or other devices.
- Decide whether you have tools you need. If not, get some tools. For example, I found myself needing to repair small electronics quite often so I picked up an inexpensive set of electronic-safe tweezers; I definitely got my money’s worth out of them.
- Do you need spare parts? You can often get them on Ebay or elsewhere online, especially if it is a hard-wearing part like screens, joysticks, or cables
- Do you know enough to do the repair safely? This will depend on your background. For example, I’m happy to fiddle with electronics as long as they’re screwed together, but I draw the line at soldering because I worry about damaging the device. Please also be very careful about anything that uses mains power: if in doubt, take it to a repair café. Did you know we have one in Wantage? It runs the first Saturday of the month in the Mix. https://sustainablewantage.org.uk/the-mix/
This article originally appeared in the St John’s Messenger. If you would like to discuss contributing a future article please contact news@valebenefice.org.uk.
