The rise of repairing: Why more of us are trying to fix things

Image source, Emma Ash

It's not uncommon for Emma Ash to watch a video on how to fix an electrical item that suddenly stops working.

The 46-year-old regularly picks up old items from skips and car boot sales to be repaired and refurbished.

Ms Ash is a granddaughter of a generation who believes in making do and mending.

It's been a part of my life since I can remember. I like to save things.

The boss of YoungPlanet, an app that allows parents to donate no longer needed children's toys and clothing to other parents, was able to fix a fridge during a lock down.

She has fixed a leaking toilet and a broken vacuum.

Ms Ash says it's always worth a try. It doesn't cost as much to get someone else out.

With many of us having to cut back on our spending due to the rising cost of living, there has been an increase in the number of people repairing things.

A report earlier this year found that 25% of Londoners are repairing more than they were in 2020.

It's hard not to agree that increased repair work is a good thing, given that as much as 50 million tonnes of electronic item waste is produced per year, of which only 20% is officially recycled.

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Some home electrical products are easy to fix.

A report found that 42% of people in the UK have successfully fixed a vacuum cleaner. The number goes down to just 10% for microwaves.

Ensuring that the item is unplugged before you start is one of the most important things you can do to ensure a safe repair.

The European Union legislation that applies to Northern Ireland requires manufacturers of electrical goods to make spare parts for sale. There are exceptions to the rule for laptops and phones.

A growing number of individuals and organizations are taking matters into their own hands in order to give people more confidence in repairing things.

In a community hall, library or church building, the idea is that people can take along broken electronic items, and volunteers will help fix them.

Ugo Vallauri says that it isn't just about getting something repaired, it's about learning new skills. He is one of the co-directors of the project.

More than 250 repair cafes exist in the UK.

The Restart Project launched two permanent sites in London. Volunteers repair broken electronics on a pay-what-you-like basis.

Mr Vallauri wants to turn it into a national network of similar places.

"Everyone should have access to repair, and it should be the first option when something breaks rather than giving up and clicking on next day delivery."

There are new ways to get clothing items fixed instead of buying replacements.

Users can send off clothing to be repaired and then sent back. Sojo is a clothing repair app that allows people to find places to repair and mend their clothes.

The founder of London-based Sojo was fresh out of school. If circular, slow fashion is going to be accessible to a younger generation, it needs to be modernized and digitised, and that's what I was thinking about.

With a lot of people still scrambling to buy the latest gadgets, is the tide actually turning?

Tim Cooper is a professor of sustainable design and consumption at Trent University.

Although there are thousands of repair cafes around the world, they are usually small compared to the millions of products people are buying. We need to change from a culture that is disposable.

Mr Vallauri says that a tax cut would increase the number of people repairing their electrical goods in the UK. VAT exists on yacht repairs but not on computers or white goods, which is why we have been campaigning for it to be removed.

France launched a repair score index for some electrical products. You can see how repairable a device is when you buy it.

More and more people in the UK are fixing things at home. The UK sales of Espares are three times higher than they were a year ago.

Last year it launched a video chat tool that allowed people to show their problem to its customer service team.

When people are having to pull the purse strings, we see a lift. They might change the spray arm themselves for less than the cost of a new dishwasher.

Ms Ash encourages others to give it a try.

She says that you can find a video on the internet of someone fixing something. It is really empowering to fix something.