The average refrigerator in the U.S.A. lives 12 years before becoming dysfunctional.

Ours is 8 years old, and the main power board has gone out(1).

I am getting it repaired because I refuse to throw it out. It is too young, and I don't want to contribute to unnecessary waste. And I don't want to spend so much money every 8-12 years. And, so, we are living out of a cooler for the last week, and it may stretch into next week.

Repairing a refrigerator is difficult. Not many companies do it anymore. It is also expensive. It will cost us $350, about a third of the price of a comparable refrigerator. That's not it, though. We are ordering more food. That is expensive and generates a lot more waste. We are generating more food waste because we have limited cooler space. We have to buy ice every day. My family is wavering on the precipice of "why don't we just buy a new one?" It is difficult to repair a refrigerator.

#ecocide
#WasteGeneration
#PlannedObselescence
#RightToRepair
#capitalism