Recent research suggests that UK residents are hoarding unwanted electrical goods to the sum of at least £5.6 billion in their homes. Something in the region of 21 million functional but unutilized gadgets, with an estimated 19 million broken items, are being stored in garages, attics, garden sheds and man drawers the length and breadth of the British Isles.
The British are ceasing to be a nation of dog lovers and are becoming a nation of redundant tech lovers instead. Maybe that is a bit of a sweeping statement. Not everyone can find it in their hearts to give a life time home to a dusty and chipped iPhone 5 or ancient Dell laptop with a dead battery that won’t hold its charge.
The same research has revealed that 155,000 tons of waste electricals are being thrown away every year in the UK. Thus, this means that e-waste is becoming the fastest growing waste stream, not just here, but all over the world. Much of which is finding its forever home in the world’s landfill sites. And while these items may ultimately prove to be an abundant source of interesting archeological artifacts for future generations of post apocalyptical metal detectorists, they may also prove to be parts of the actual smoking gun that points to our own culpability in helping to bring on the said apocalypse.
It has been estimated that currently over 11 million laptops and 9 million tablets in the UK could be repaired, sold or recycled, along with 18.5 million games consoles and 6.5 million computers.
At a time of great anxiety about the upwardly spiraling cost of living, and rising energy bills, average UK household could raise hundreds of pounds by selling their unwanted tech items and just as likely save hundreds of pounds by repairing broken items rather than opting to buy new replacements.
Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, an independent not-for-profit organisation. said: “This new research has shown again what we know.”
“There is a huge amount of value in a household’s unwanted electricals, whether sold so that they can be reused, donated to help those in need, or recycled so that the valuable materials inside our devices can be recovered and made into something new.
“Electricals and tech are valuable, and this value will be lost forever if they are thrown away. Anything with a plug, battery or cable should always be recycled as a minimum.”
Of course, not everyone has been as keen on encouraging the repairing and reusing of electrical items. Sometimes the original manufacturers themselves can put the proverbial spanner in the works, by either making their devices unrepairable, by limiting the availability of spare parts or by inflating their prices for spare parts so as to make any meaningful repairs unviable. The emphasis has usually focused on promoting the sale of new items, not on repairing the old.
However, with increasing concern about climate change, the uncertainty regarding energy supplies and dwindling mineral resources, this attitude must change, and thankfully it is beginning to change.
This is where the internet can prove to be a literal life saver, especially for the doomed washing machine or overheating laptop. A quick Google search will reveal a mine of useful information regarding self-help forums, YouTube Tutorials, and third-party suppliers of spare parts.
And at a time when the whole recycling industry is also under scrutiny, particularly in relation to the environmental impact of harmful and even toxic materials, more and more companies are seeing the benefits of repairing electrical goods, particularly the repair of IT equipment.
Not only can it offer valuable savings in regards of costs to individuals and businesses, but it also works towards decreasing the environmental impact of disposing of and even recycling redundant equipment.
For instance, IT repairs specialist Tekeurope have seen an increased demand for repairs since new products are harder to get hold of or have longer wait-times. Customers are also considering the environment more when making decisions on what products to buy.
The answer is as simple as the three Rs. Repair, reuse, recycle. We must all do what we can to ensure that the road to hell is not paved with good inventions.
