Right to Repair
It is no secret that companies are designing their products to be more and more disposable, however there is no good reason why electronics can’t last for years or even decades with proper maintenance and repair.
Companies are now starting to go one step further, such as using digital means to lock out the consumer or independent repair shops from repairing their products. My grandfather was a small farmer. When his tractor would break he would fix it. Now if he had a tractor from a certain company, he wouldn’t be able to. Auto manufacturers are starting to adopt similar policies with their cars.
Batteries, for example, are only designed to last for a certain amount of cycles. South Korea has had legislation requiring batteries to be user replaceable. Companies such as Samsung and LG have had special versions of their phones with user replaceable batteries for years. The US version is glued shut.
While this practice is good for tech companies, it is bad for your pocketbook and the environment.
A family of four generates an average of 54 lbs of e-waste per year. Much of this contains hazardous waste such as cadmium, lead and mercury that must be properly disposed.