The awful truth is it is often a better option to throw things away when you can repair them. The problem is not what you might think – parts availability, access to manuals, access to skilled repairmen or even consumer culture. It’s actually the raw deal you get when you repair.
The truth is most things can be repaired and it’s life extended. Don’t believe me, look at the classic cars that still dominate Cuban streets. These old hulking beasts of cars get people around, they are serviceable and still operate. Then why did Americans throw theirs away when the Cubans kept their old automobiles chugging along? Mainly because it’s often a better choice for the individual to throw away then repair.
In many cases repair is cheaper than replacement. You can keep nearly any old appliance or automobile chugging along with a steady supply of parts, maintenance and repair. Enough bailing wire, mismatched parts from the scrap yard and online purchases of random needed parts can keep things humming along until the next thing breaks. But what do you give up when you keep your old device around and keep repairing it rather than sending it to the landfill?
Reliability is the biggest thing you give up with an old automobile, device or appliance. Repairing something fixes the immediate problem to get it back in use but it doesn’t make the rest of components less worn or less prone to failure. Replacing the tires on an old car doesn’t delay the time until the engine or transmission will fail and need replacement – often unexpectedly as you are heading down the road.
Reliability can be critical for many devices. Machine learning, research and even skilled mechanics can often spot problematic components and prioritize replacement and maintenance before failure. That can help with the reliability question but still you are dealing with an old, often tired and worn device that might fail in less predictable ways. Plus repairing all of the moderate risk of failure components may not be cost effective. So you end up with a less reliable, repaired old device compared to a new product.
Technology and science is always evolving. Repairing an old device means you are stuck with the outdated technology of yesteryear. For some devices that might not matter but for automobiles you are passing up on potentially lifesaving features, better fuel economy, less tailpipe pollution, etc. Electronic devices evolve quickly and without the more modern technologies you risk disconnecting from the world or being able to take advantage of the latest innovations.
The truth is there is a lot of pros and cons to repairing versus disposing. Obviously there are great environmental advantages to repair and longer use, although they may be offset by the use of toxic materials and less efficiency of older models. Likewise, repair in many cases can save money, even if you are taking a bit of a gamble putting money into an old device, that could fail catastrophically after an expensive repair. I’m not say throw away and always buy new but weight your options carefully.
