Fighting Waste, One Story at a Time
by Mary Catherine O’Connor
As a journalist who covers waste in all its forms (greenhouse gas emissions, plastic pollution, and fast fashion to name a few) I’m pretty used to gobsmacking data. But while researching electronic waste for my recent story about the growing interest in repair, and the right-to-repair movement, I really had a hard time wrapping my head around this figure: Californians collectively toss 1.5 tons of electronic waste each minute.
But after calling and emailing the folks at CALPIRG and having them walk me through the math—twice—I had, as they say, the receipts. My mind went immediately to the untold number of old (and often broken) phones, cameras, toys, games, and laptops not counted in that figure. The ones stowed away in junk drawers, closets, and garages all over this state.
Yet, I couldn’t ruminate for long, because I had an important good news story to tell about repair—which aired on KALW along with this interview with Reuse Alliance Executive Director Phoebe Schenker and a great story about an appliance repair shop in San Francisco.
Here’s how my story was born: A few months ago, I posted a busted coffee grinder for free on Craigslist. A woman named Cindy picked it up and said she'd fix it and give it back to me if I'd like. I was dubious. I'd already tried to fix it, and so had my engineer husband. We'd failed.
Two days later, Cindy told me it was fixed. Turns out, she's one of the many dedicated Fixit Clinic volunteers. Meeting her led to my KALW radio story. Repair is an under-appreciated lever to conserve resources and fight climate change. As Wendy Kwok told me: "I'm a big fan of solid waste aversion, and this is the best way to do it."
The repair coaches I met were also really inspiring. You hear about coaches Cindy and Don in my story, but there are elements that aren't in the radio piece. For one, Cindy is more than just a former auto mechanic. Here’s what she told me: “I was a street artist… and my partner and I built a bread truck into a RV and we traveled the U.S. … We went to a trade school for a year. … I became an auto mechanic, she became an auto body worker.” Oh, somewhere in there she also worked for BART, was a copy repair person and a nurse, for heaven’s sake.
Repair Coach Cindy Navarro and attendee Jack Schneider at the Fixit Clinic. Photo courtesy Mary Catherine O’Connor
And Don? He hates to let anyone down. Despite the fact that Fixit Clinic founder Peter asks him not to, Don regularly takes projects home that he can’t help the owner repair during a clinic. That was the case with a Kitchenaid mixer a woman brought to the clinic I attended. He told me that after replacing a burnt chip on the control board and readjusting the speed controls (those hadn’t worked for years), he returned the appliance to the owner, meeting her in a Whole Foods parking lot for the exchange. It’s a scene that makes me chuckle to imagine. And warms my heart.
Fighting waste, one story at a time.
(Mary Catherine O'Connor is an award-winning reporter and San Francisco resident.)
Upcoming Reuse Events
March 6 : Carbon Conversations
Join Reuse Alliance, Executive Director, Phoebe Schenker for a conversation on Reuse + Repair hosted by the Radhus Institute at the Sebstopol Grange.
March 14 : Applications due for Stopwaste Grants
$1.1 million in grant opportunities to nonprofits, businesses, and institutions with projects aimed at increasing individual, business, and community involvement in the prevention of waste in Alameda County.
March 13 : Redesign Everything Competition
Last day to enter the Redesign Everything Global design competition for creative solutions to accelerate the transition to a fair and circular economy hosted by What Design Can Do.
March 23 : Rohnert Park - Cotati Reuse + Repair Fair
We had a great time at the Santa Rosa Repair Fair, fixing 73 items in 3 hours. Our next Reuse + Repair Fair is scheduled for March 23rd and will include a clothing swap, and other activities - so start setting aside unwanted items now! Mark your calendar and check back for more details:
Reuse in the News
As more people continue to work remotely, a record number of offices will be converted into apartments in 2024.
Evidence mounts that the circular economy for electronics is thriving, and will likely reach $5.35 billion in 2030.
Some people see an opportunity for reuse, and turn it into a business. Happen Ventures is diverting PPE materials from landfills, and CEO Jessica Gonzalez is an inspiration.
Reuse to Amuse
Wonderful Waste is finally out! Watch all the episodes here while the weather is still terrible.
We fix a lot of lamps, and there are tons to thrift, but if you have to buy a new one, this entirely repurposed one is pretty beautiful…
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