Leave a Comment | Posted by Storm and Chris on March 9, 2010
How do you decide whether to repair or replace your stuff?
We live in a consumer society that profits from disposability. Manufacturers and retailers know the sooner a product breaks or becomes outdated, the sooner consumers will replace it. This “planned obsolescence” is artificially inflated through intentionally shoddy products, while consumption is stimulated through commercial bombardment.
Some products may remain functional but become obsolete due to changing styles and preferences or improvements in newer products while others may have a short life expectancy, due to intensive use.
For example, cell phones become outdated almost the moment you buy them. On average, cell phones are broken, donated, traded-in, thrown away, recycled or otherwise replaced within the first 18 months. Every year, we add 130 million cell phones to the waste stream in the U.S. Not only is that a lot of toxic trash, it’s a lot of money out of our pockets.
Electronic products are particularly susceptible to planned obsolescence: It’s often far more expensive to repair a toaster, blender or washing machine than to replace it — if you can even find someone willing to perform the repair. On the other hand, a properly installed roof made of quality products can last anywhere from 20 to 50 years with proper maintenance. So how do you know whether to fix it or nix it? We offer the following guidelines to help you decide. Click here.
