Don’t buy a new gadget before reading this!

Repairability: Save Your Gadgets & Save the Planet

As the holiday season unfolds many of us will find ourselves immersed in a fierce shopping spree, scouring stores for hot deals, fueled by frothy gingerbread lattes. Surely you’re familiar with the consumerist frenzy of holiday giving, but have you considered the consequences?

While the horrors of sweatshops and unethical trade have come to light in recent years, many people still remain oblivious to the reality of e-waste, that is, the millions of tons of electronics that are discarded each year into toxic landfills, usually located in the poorer and developing regions of the world. This may not be the holiday newsflash you were looking for, but don’t sign off just yet, because there is a ray of hope: in reality, the majority of our e-waste is completely unnecessary.

In order to understand how e-waste can be avoided, we must first think about how it is created. The fact is that gadgets, no matter how well-made they may be, eventually break. In most cases, once a piece of tech stops functioning seamlessly, a user will consider it unrepairable and throw it out for a shinier, newer model. Moreover, that sad old iPhone or laptop that was replaced, will end up with tons of other e-waste, sitting in a polluting landfill.

Now consider this, usually when a gadget stops functioning, that does not mean that it is at a point of no return. On the contrary, with just a bit of tinkering, it can be brought back to life and work as good as new. So if it’s that easy, why don’t we fix our own gadgets? Well, as consumers we have been brought up to believe that truly modern technology is too complicated for us to understand; if there is an issue, there is no way that we can deal with it ourselves.

It’s true that most of us probably wouldn’t know how to fix our laptop or TV if it stopped working. However that is not because we are inept, it is simply because we are in the dark. The majority of tech manufacturers purposely make it so that their products are difficult to access for repairs. Again, this is not because they are difficult to repair, but because they will make a greater profit if their customers go to their certified technicians or, better yet, invest in a brand new model. Like most things in this world, it’s all a brilliant marketing scheme — thankfully, this time, one that you can avoid.

So, what’s the alternative? One possibility is doing a bit of research online to find the instructions you need. There are thousands of tutorials on YouTube that show you how to repair gadgets, there is iFixit.org. Another great option is to buy gadgets that are designed to be repairable. Take the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (UHK) as an example. This is a split mechanical keyboard, that is extremely customizable, and designed to be repaired by the user. That last part doesn’t mean that it is made badly and will need to be fixed often. What it means is that the parts of the keyboard are labeled clearly, and come with instructions on how to make repairs, in the rare case that you will need to do so.

It’s quite simple really, if manufacturers make a small effort to educate their customers, then repairs will become immensely common. And, believe it or not, this could be a win-win scenario. Yes, the manufacturer might sell less, but they also won’t have to spend money on technicians and support centers. The user will not only save money, but also reduce e-waste, which is ultimately great for everyone.

So this holiday season, as you’re out and about with your shopping lists, take a moment to think about repairability. E-waste is a real hazard, and it’s high time we remove the veil from the face of technology, and realize that we can do more with our gadgets than we might think.