Dead Gadget Stories, or why HD monitors can't be fixed

Dumping e-waste isn't good for you or the environment -- which is why we should take old computers and TVs to an e-waste collection center. But what happened to reusing things and fixing things when they break? Is it possible to REDUCE the amount of e-waste we create?

While some old appliances just need to be replaced -- old refrigerators, for example, suck up way more energy than newer, energy-efficient ones -- other goods often get tossed simply because they break and we can't find any way to fix them. After all, companies make more money right now selling us new stuff instead of helping us fix existing things.

This is pissing off many environmentalists. Beth of Fake Plastic Fish, for example, discovered her HP monitor couldn't be fixed -- and after complaining to HP, took her rant about "the issue of planned obsolescence of electronics" to the Electronics Take Back Coalition, a group that's trying to get companies to take responsibility for recycling their e-products.

And now, the Electronics Take Back Coalition's collecting "Dead Gadget Stories"! Basically, they're looking for stories "showing clearly how products simply can’t be fixed or upgraded, because of clear choices made by the product designers."

Tried to fix a DVD player, only to be told it was unfixable? Then write up your story and send it to stories@deadgadgets.com with this info:

Make and model
Year bought and whether it's under warranty.
Why it’s dead. (Doesn’t turn on, can’t upgrade it to run certain software, etc.)
Steps taken to try to fix it, or cost to fix it -- in all their eco-obsessive details.
Picture of the dead gadget (make sure the manufacturer name / logo's visible) for a soon-to-come dead gadget gallery.

The info'll be compiled to further Electronics Take Back Coalition's e-waste responsibility campaigns. If you send something in, feel free to share it in the comments too!

Extrapolating a bit -- I think there's a growing market for people who can fix electronics. In Wired magazine, Clive Thompson points out how fixing and reusing things can be a political act: "We've lost our Everyman ability to build, maintain, and repair the devices we rely on every day. And that's making it harder to solve the country's nastiest problems, like oil dependence, climate change, and global competitiveness."

While Thompson is referring specifically to personal fix-it skills, the problem goes beyond individuals to encompass our entire communities' inability to fix things. After all, not everyone has to be able to fix a computer monitor -- but it'd be great if every town had someone who could, and who could make a viable living at it. And it'd be even better if our TVs were MADE to be fixed, and if fixing cost less than buying new ...

For now, I try to upgrade electronics only when absolutely necessary. I've decided to keep my old LG flip phone this year, instead of upgrading to a new, sleeker one for free (provided I extend my contract). iPhones look cool, but I really spend enough time mucking around on the Web already, sans an ultra-portable do-everything celly.

I do, BTW, have a great recommendation for a local guy who'll come by to fix your printer, if you have a broken one.

Photo by David J via Flickr