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We need to push to make sure that manufacture standardize as
much as possible common items like batteries.
E.g. Vacuum cleaners being thrown out simply because batteries
are so hard to find, or requires some special IC chip to be reset
to replace the batteries.
This is leading to perfectly
working vacuum cleaners being
thrown in the trash for no good reason.
One method I propose is a 3 tier taxing based on varying level of
standardized parts availability.
1. Max ewaste tax on parts that has absolutely no repair parts
available.
2. Medium ewaste tax on parts that while not standardized...
whoes parts and repair instructions is made available for a
reasonable lifetime of the product.
3. Minimum/No ewaste tax on items that has off the self parts
and is very easy for the user to repair without a specialist.
You can use the ewaste tax to subsidize the cost of throwing
these stuff into the landfill.
Why is this especially important? Well for start, china is not
accepting any more of our trash... so its going to get harder to
deal with this very very soon.
[link]
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I'm all in favour of repairability. Electric toothbrushes are
another item that's discarded when the rechargeable but
non-replaceable battery dies. |
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Someone should set up a chain of "We Fix Anything" shops
that will repair electrical and electronic goods. Such shops
would: |
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(1) Accept discarded items, repairing and reselling those
that were repairable
(2) Repair items for only the cost of the parts, claiming a
subsidy from government for waste reduction
(3) Dispose properly of any irreparable items. |
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Would those then outcompete the current phone repair
shops, due to having lower prices for repair jobs? |
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Phone repair is a bit different, in that there are lots of places
that do it. But things like toasters, vacuum cleaners... |
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Our beautiful bulbous chrome 1940s toaster lost a leg, we took it into a small appliance repair shop, they immediately went out of business, and we never heard that amazing hearty 'Ker-Pop!' again. The dog and the boy used to wait patiently for the toast to be launched into the air, following its graceful arc to snag one slice each. Good times. Retro bun [+] |
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One of the many joys of my life is discovering that you can
find any replacement part for anything on the internet. |
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It would be a big break for the environment if we shifted focus from manufacturing to service and repair when trying to employ people. A great deal of what's wrong with modern civilization has to do with everyone wanting to make money off machines that can crank out a ton of useless shit all day long. |
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