Keeping objects out of landfills

Expert recommends trying to fix broken items first before resorting to throwing them out

While repair costs seems to be an issue for most Gulf News readers, an expert in the field explains that the cost is decided based on how severe the damage or breakdown is.

Rashid Hakim, founder of Dubaibased Camera Repair Establishment, has been in the repair business for 38 years. In his opinion, people’s first reaction when something breaks depends entirely on how old the item is.

He said: “If [a piece of] equipment is taken back to the dealer, the repair there tends to be quite expensive, for many reasons. But, a latest television or an expensive watch will not be thrown away, rather people can find an economical repair centre, costing 50 per cent or less. Some things are sentimental or vintage, so they are not cost effective and the repair cost is budgeted on a different calculation.”

Repairing objects helps keep them out of landfills. The world generates around 40 million tonnes of just electronic waste every year, according to The World Counts, a nonprofit organisation based in Denmark. That is equal to throwing out 800 laptops every second. E-waste comprises 70 per cent of the world’s overall toxic waste.

Despite global campaigns, only 12.5 per cent of e-waste is recycled, the remaining is sent to landfills and ends up releasing harmful toxins into the environment.

Availability of spare parts

As far as time is concerned, Hakim explains that if an object is popular and in use by many residents of a country in a large quantity, the spare parts will be easily available locally, instead of ordering from the manufacturer or internationally, thus allowing them to repair an object quickly.

He said: “Ours is a photo equipment repair business and we expect about eight to ten customers every day. Working time on each camera will depend on the different kinds of problems. It takes one to five hours on an average.”

As someone who has been working in this field, repairing objects has now become a part of his life. His first instinct, when something breaks at home, is to repair rather than replace it. He has even inculcated the habit in his family.

He said: “My family always holds on to anything broken, and either they try to repair it or they show it to me to see if it’s repairable by me or any other specialised expert, depending on what it is. They also have the same habit of repair versus replace when something is worth it.”

... a latest television or an expensive watch will not be thrown away, rather people can find an economical repair centre, costing 50 per cent or less.”

Rashid Hakim | Founder of Dubai-based Camera Repair Establishment