Three decades of financial affluence and low cost manufacturing has led us into the tyranny of a disposal culture. Consumers were duped into thinking that it made no sense to repair a kettle when for 20 quid you can simply replace it. Thus driving not just a further increase in production but also the associated packaging that ships with shiny new items.
The stark reality of that over-consumption is now staring us firmly in the face and mocking our naivety. In 2017, 525,000 tonnes of household appliances and equipment were collected as waste electrical and electronic equipment in the UK. Even the elements that are recycled, involve crushing and melting so that low-value metals are all that remains.
An estimated 300,000 tonnes of clothing was sent to landfill in the UK in 2016 and a report from Wrap puts the average lifespan for a piece of clothing in the UK at a mere 3.3 years.
Our oceans and waterways are now clogged with plastic – about 8 million metric tons per year, which does not disappear. By 2050 it is estimated that there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish.
The Right to Repair
Finally, european environment ministers have developed a series of proposals forcing manufacturers to make goods that last longer and are easier to mend. The European proposals refer to lighting, televisions and large home appliances. It’s a start, and as you might expect there is some resistance from manufacturers and counter arguments that new products are more efficient.
Whilst this right to repair is indeed progress, we are now sadly at least two generations further away from understanding how to make and mend stuff, fix things in our homes and repair our clothes. Tinkering in grandparents’ sheds, looking under the hood with wrench in hand and evenings darning socks by the fire are from days gone by. We need to equip a whole generation with the skills and confidence to repair.
Knowing how to repair your stuff is empowering stuff. You create a connection to your items, develop an appreciation of the skill that was involved in making it and can extend its life beyond your original expectations. That saves money, reduces landfill and diminishes the deadly demand/production cycle. What’s more it feels great.
Community Repair Events
The rise of repair events such as repair cafes and hackathons are a welcome movement that is helping people to share valuable repair skills within their communities before we lose them for good (the skills and the communities, it could be argued). These pop-ups are now prevalent around the country and the movement is gaining momentum as more people are waking up what is at stake.
Having a go at mending something under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable fixpert will give you the confidence to try more. It’s a virtuous circle, you just need to step inside and get involved.
Come and join us at our Repair Events. Bring something that needs a fix and you will learn from a series of experts how to do it yourself.
