Trash the Throw Away Economy - Join The Repair Revolution.

You know the saying; "if it's not broke, don't fix it"? In today's society, we aren't fixing things even if they are broke. I always hear people say how products are made dinky on purpose these days to break sooner because companies want you to keep buying new ones. But what if you actually started learning how to repair things that break?

My Pops was a self taught everything-man. One of the things he could do was take things apart, put them back together, and get broken things working again. He had a basic understanding of how things worked from reading, and learned the rest by taking things apart. There is an older generation of people still using old things around the home for years, because they still work. Things were either built to last or patched up when it needed patching up....

Even Sesame Street had been teaching us how to stretch out the life of our appliances for years with the Fix-it shop run by Luis and Maria. The Fix-it shop even gets special attention in the book "Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Help Our Wonderful World" as it is used as an example of what an environmentally responsible idea it is to have personal items repaired for continued use rather than replacing them. I just needed to give this program props! It always was good about opening children up to issues and educating them on the topic. I wanted someone to tell me how to get to Sesame Street as a kid. 

iFixit/CC BY 3.0

Bringing your things to be fixed, creates jobs in the local area, and saves you money. Fixing your old possessions yourself also saves you money, makes you self sufficient, and helps you learn a useful skill. Repairing things could also open you up to job opportunities or help you start your own business. It worked for Luis and Maria. 

If you want to learn about your right to repair, and the philosophy behind repair, iFixit.org is a wonderful resource that offers a free online repair manual and urges you to take the Repair Pledge. If you resolve to fix at least one item a year, you are saving the environment from a ton of waste. 

Fixing your machines not only helps you out, but you also do good for the environment. Reparation creates less waste, contributes to the reduction of natural resources that are used in the production of these wares, and reduces toxicity from manufacturing since you lessen the demand. Anything that benefits the health of the environment, benefits our overall health and the flow of our being.

albayan.ae

E-trash is thrown into landfills where its plastic casing and internal "guts" containing chemicals and hazardous substances like lead, cadmium and arsenic leach into our water supply  as it breaks down. In many places, people go through the trash by hand, salvaging any precious metals and pieces from the device without proper protective gear. They then burn the leftovers for disposal. Burning of this type of trash is not good for the local community. There actually is a proper way to dispose of your old electronics, and it's not curbside.

To dispose of your old electronics properly, check out Earth911 and recycle your old equipment once it's beyond repair.

Resources:

• How Animals are Harmed By Your Trash - Environmental Chemistry
• Dangers of Burning Trash - Message from the EPA
• Harmful Effects of Landfills - Covanta Energy infographic
• The Problems with Waste - Information, and solution ideas from Toxic Action Center.