By Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
From GreenOptions.com
Posted - September 13, 2007
Five Electronics Fixes: Keep Them Running, and Out of the Landfill
Electronic waste is a big environmental issue, and we've covered numerous ways that both electronics companies and consumers can help reduce the amount of e-waste headed for landfills. While most recent efforts focus on reuse and/or recycling (which are both important), Israeli site FixYa harnesses "crowd power" (ie, social media) to help people repair their electronics rather than disposing of them. The main motivation behind FixYa was the increasing lack of technical support provided for consumer electronics manufacturers, but Yaniv Ben Saadon told us that there's a green element to the site's mission:
By allowing more and more consumers to successfully operate and mend their products, FixYa decreases the number of products that are discarded and eventually pollute our environment. Although globalization and competition drive the average consumption of consumer products to increase over time, the usability of these products decreases as they become more technologically advanced and challenging to operate.
Moreover , since manufacturers are under growing pressure to release their products to their markets, often these products are mass produced before they are properly designed. The result is that the products we buy are cheaper than they were before, yet more challenging to operate.
From cellular phones to washing machines, FixYa's users have already provided a wide range of "fix-it" advice. Ben Saadon shared with us some of the most popular problems, and the highest-ranked solutions, addressed on the site.
