A charity that tackles electronic waste is drawing attention to the possibilities offered by reuse and repair
So the decorations are down, the new calendar is up, and the tree’s off to be recycled. But what’s planned for the old technology we’ve replaced this Christmas?
The Restart Project, a charity working to tackle e-waste, is encouraging people to reconsider where they take their unwanted gadgets, drawing attention to alternatives that are more environmentally friendly than recycling centres. While our Christmas trees are shredded into organic matter that is great for the soil, when electronics enter the recycling stream, it’s a very different story, the team warned.
“The devices will usually be put into huge shredders, which use lots of energy and generally fail to recover many of the precious metals and critical raw materials in our devices – materials we need to power the green energy transition,” explained Fiona Dear, director of The Restart Project.
The charity recently published a report revealing that 81% of waste facilities in the UK send all electrical and electronic waste into shredders. Reuse and repair are far more cost-effective, energy-efficient and environmentally conscious options, said Dear.
“We know that reuse is a much more efficient use of our finite resources and therefore better for the planet,” she explained. “It can also help households save money with quality secondhand products.”
The Restart Project, which aims to improve our relationship with electronics and ‘to keep electrical products in use for longer and slow the growing mountain of e-waste’, supports regular London-based ‘restart parties’ and networks of repair cafes globally.
There are also numerous projects and businesses across the UK that offer ways to donate old electronics. “Many waste companies and local authorities understand these issues really well,” said Dear. “They want to see more reuse happening and they’re exploring ways to avoid sending your gadgets to the shredder.”
In its Reuse and Repair Declaration, the charity is calling for the UK government to make repair more affordable through initiatives like tax reductions and repair vouchers. Other suggested measures include supporting a new generation of repairers through repair training and accreditation and introducing a repair index to help people choose more repairable and durable products.
For more information on what to do with unwanted electronics including where to donate them, see https://therestartproject.org/
Main image: simon2579
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