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Practical Skills

The Throwaway Generation: Why We Stopped Fixing Things

Ages 10–14 25 min read Beginner

Your grandparents' generation fixed things. Your parents' generation started replacing things. Your generation throws things away without a second thought. This shift has happened in less than 50 years — and it's costing us financially, environmentally, and in lost skills.

How We Became the Throwaway Generation

1. Things Got Cheap

Globalised manufacturing (especially in China) made consumer goods incredibly cheap. When a toaster costs $15, it's "not worth" paying $40 to repair it. Economically this makes sense. Environmentally, it's a disaster.

2. Things Got Complicated

Your grandparents could fix a radio because it had discrete, visible components. Modern electronics use tiny integrated circuits that can't be repaired by hand. A cracked phone screen requires specialist tools and parts.

3. Repair Knowledge Disappeared

Schools stopped teaching practical repair skills. Parents who never learned couldn't pass knowledge on. Within two generations, basic skills like sewing, soldering, and woodwork became rare.

4. Manufacturers Made Repair Harder

Apple uses proprietary screws so you can't open the case. John Deere tractors require authorised dealers for software repairs. Printer companies design cartridges that refuse to work when refilled. This is deliberate.

The Cost

  • Financial: Australians spend an estimated $10,000+ per household per year on replacing goods that could potentially be repaired.
  • Environmental: Australia generates approximately 76 million tonnes of waste per year, of which a significant portion is consumer goods.
  • E-waste: Only 10% of Australian e-waste is recycled. The rest goes to landfill, leaching toxic chemicals.

The Repair Movement

A global movement is fighting back:

  • Repair Cafés: Community events where volunteer fixers help people repair things for free. Over 2,500 Repair Cafés exist worldwide, including many in Australia.
  • Right to Repair: Laws requiring manufacturers to make products repairable. The EU and several US states have passed Right to Repair legislation. Australia's Productivity Commission recommended similar reforms in 2021.
  • iFixit: A free online database of repair guides for thousands of products.

Tonight's Question

"Has our family thrown away anything in the last month that could have been repaired? What stopped us from fixing it?"

The Repair Audit

  1. Walk through the house together. Find 5 broken or partially broken items.
  2. For each, assess: is it repairable? What would be needed (skill, parts, tools)?
  3. Research repair options: YouTube tutorial, local repair café, iFixit guide.
  4. Pick one item to fix together this weekend.
  5. Calculate: what would it cost to replace vs repair?

Go Further

  • Website: iFixit.com — free repair guides for electronics and more.
  • Find: Your nearest Repair Café (repaircafe.org).
  • Book: Repair Revolution by John Wackman & Elizabeth Knight (2020).
  • Question: Should manufacturers be legally required to make products repairable?

What We Simplified

  • Sometimes replacement is genuinely better. An old, inefficient fridge costs more in electricity than a new efficient one. Not everything should be repaired.
  • Repair skills take time to learn. A bad repair can make things worse. Start small.
  • Safety matters. Electrical repairs, gas appliance repairs, and structural repairs should be done by qualified professionals.

Sources

  • Productivity Commission (2021). "Right to Repair." Australian Government.
  • Repair Café Foundation. repaircafe.org
  • iFixit. ifixit.com
  • DCCEEW (2023). "National Waste Report." Australian Government.

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