The repair rebels
Uncovering a grassroots revolt against throwaway culture
I’ve been speaking to a lot of people about their toasters. One common thread has become clear: everyone hates the idea of throwing away broken appliances, but no one feels confident enough to try to repair them.
Which got me interested in what was out there to support people in repairing their stuff. To my delight, I discovered an extensive network of volunteer-run repair cafes. Members of the public bring in their broken household items, volunteers try to fix them for free, and teach the owner in the process. And this isn’t a niche thing: there are over 3,000 (three thousand!) repair cafes worldwide, with over 650 in the UK alone. Earlier this year there was even a repair cafe in the Houses of Parliament. Who better than these fixers to advise on how to extend the lifespan of toasters?
I reached out to a few local organisers, and received enthusiastic responses. Alex Horn from West Central London Fixers was happy to talk. Before we talked toasters, I had to ask: what is the weirdest thing you’ve fixed? With the stony professionalism of a surgeon Alex replied “We had someone bring in a sex toy. A wire just needed re-soldering, so it was easy to fix.”
Broken toasters are a less sexy but more common occurrence. “We see a lot of toasters. The electromagnet stops working so the lever won’t stay down. That or the heating element breaks, which is often not possible to replace.” But there’s a bigger challenge upstream of fixing it. “They’re a nightmare to get into. Half your time is spent opening up the toaster without breaking the plastic case.”
Chris Setz from Haringey Fixers has been fixing for a long time. “I was a hippie in the seventies, living in squats. I found a Reader’s Digest about repairing things and I just taught myself from there.” His experience with toasters mirrors Alex’s. “It’s obvious that toasters are not designed with repair in mind. It can easily take all the time you have just trying to get the thing open. The plastic cases are glued on, or use inaccessible screws.” What would help? “Making it modular, making it easy to get into.” Although in many cases Chris manages to circumvent this challenge. “Crumbs get stuck in the lift mechanism. So the first thing you should do with a broken toaster is turn it upside down and give it a good bang.”
It’s clear from speaking with both Chris and Alex that their love of fixing isn’t just about rejuvenating appliances. “There’s a great satisfaction in repairing things, and there’s a social angle in how it brings together the community. It’s great for wellbeing.” explains Alex. Each repair cafe connects diverse members of the local community who wouldn’t otherwise meet, empowers people with useful skills and knowledge, and gives those teaching them the satisfaction of providing a valuable social good.
This is familiar to Martine Postma, the former journalist who created the first ever Repair Cafe in 2009 in Amsterdam. “We now have repair cafes in places as far flung as Hawaii, Hong Kong and Iceland. I'm always amazed at how similar they feel all over the world. The atmosphere is always a nice positive chaos, with people using their broken products as conversation starters." Is she surprised by how repair cafes have spread? "We're celebrating our 15th anniversary this year. It still amazes me how big it's grown. It's a signal that people are sick of throwaway culture.”
She’s supportive of our mission to create a 100 year toaster. "I think it's a great idea. We should have products that are built to last. But it will be a challenge to make the economics work. People expect cheap products, but the only solution is for products to be more expensive. It makes them worthwhile to repair, stimulates consumers to take better care of them. When you buy a kettle for €10 you don't feel like you have something of value in your hands, something that’s worth caring for.”
One of the most common reasons I hear people give for not fixing their own appliances is concern about safety. How does she view the risk of people repairing their own mains-powered items? "Manufacturers tend to talk up the dangers, and say they won't make things repairable for safety reasons. That's nonsense! If it's about safety they should provide us with the information and tools to do it safely. When you use your common sense you can solve most problems, most things will be okay. It's not possible for the government or for manufacturers to take away all the risks. If you take away all risks you can't live!”
Another of the organisations central to the repair movement is the Restart Project. Founded in 2012, it has been instrumental in lobbying for “right to repair” legislation in the UK and across Europe. I asked Ugo Vallauri, one of the founders, his advice on our project.
“A decade ago, when we started, what we were saying was pioneering. Now I’m pleased to see repairability becoming more mainstream - brands like Patagonia offering repair services in store. So that gives me hope. But a toaster will be an interesting challenge, given the price point. They tend to be throwaway nowadays - from the perspective of their manufacturers, at least! We have made progress on legislation, such as forcing manufacturers to provide spare parts for their products, but that can only go so far. Repairability alone is meaningless if we don’t reduce the number of items that are made, and consumption of resources as a result. So the idea of trying to tackle this with a different mindset is exciting.”
These conversations make it clear that we need to design repairability into our toaster from the ground up. Even just making it easy to get into and reassemble will be a positive leap forward. But more than this, the people I’ve spoken to have painted a hopeful vision of the future. That, beyond just reducing appliance waste, we can return to a world where we’re all more self-sufficient, more frugal, and more connected to the objects and people around us. That, one day, we can all be fixers again. That’s a future I would love to be part of.