County council to launch new online repair directory

WICKLOW County Council will release a new online directory next year listing services for everything from washing machines to jewellery and clothes alterations.

The council believes that the repair of broken appliances has a role to play in the battle against over-consumption. Wicklow County Council is participating in the project and to mark European Week for Waste Reduction is putting out a call for businesses who would like to be listed on the free guide.

Jim Callery, Environmental Awareness Officer with Wicklow County Council, said: ‘Putting more focus on repair of goods will reduce the purchase and consumption of goods but can still have a very positive effect on the local economy and on reviving town centres.

‘Money spent on repair is money that goes directly to local skilled craftsmen and tradesmen rather than on imports and can also help create jobs.’

Environmental Awareness Office of Wicklow County Council can be contacted by businesses who want to register to be listed on repairmystuff.ie.

There are a number of different categories, including appliances repair, clothes alterations, jewellery, furniture and upholstery and electronics.

The website will be a onestop-point where the public will be able to find repair businesses in their local area.

The most commonly repaired items are laptops and mobile phones. With larger appliances, the age and energy efficiency of the item is worth considering. Fridges, freezers and washing machines, in particular, are worth updating to more efficient models when more than ten years old. The quality of the item will often be a factor, as the higher the quality of the item, the more worthwhile it is getting it repaired, particularly with furniture, clothing or shoes.

‘Keeping our phones a little longer can make a difference,’ said Mr Callery. ‘If every phone sold was used for just one-third longer, we could prevent emissions equivalent to the carbon output from Singapore.

‘Mobile phones are often discarded while still in working order – sometimes after as little as one year, with an average life span of just two years.’

Rapid consumption of goods across Ireland and the rest of the world comes at a cost, with carbon emissions from the production of mobile phones equaling the total emissions of Austria, with 35kgs of CO2 for every phone.

It is estimated that a move back to repair culture would result in a 10 per cent increase in carbon efficiency, so it is hoped that repair my stuff.ie will help both the environment and the local economy.

Globally, it is estimated that 20 million tonnes of electronic goods are produced annually while the clothing and textiles industry is estimated to be worth $3,000 billion, with 68 million tonnes of textiles consumed each year around the world. A remarkable 1.9 billion mobile phones were purchased in 2015 with 60 made every single second. Research in the UK has shown that 44 per cent of mobile phones, 22 per cent of household appliances, 50 per cent of audio visual equipment and 33 per cent of clothing are discarded in good working order.

To register for repairmystuff. ie, contact eao@wicklowcoco.ie.