Letter to the editor: Curbing electronic waste

The moment I noticed my phone battery was draining faster than I could scroll, I decided to get it fixed. At the store, I was told I needed additional, unnecessary repairs to fix issues unrelated to the battery. In the end, it was easier (and cheaper) for me to buy a new phone.

This trip wasn’t just an inconvenience, but a contribution to a larger environmental problem. Buying new technology so often has allowed electronic waste to become the fastest growing waste stream in the world.

Instead of junking old electronics, let’s make it easier to fix them. Collectively, using our phones for even one year longer has climate benefits equal to taking over 600,000 cars off the road.

Fortunately, state legislators have introduced legislation to do just that. HB 2535 makes manufacturers provide available information and parts needed to repair electronics. This important legislation just passed in a committee vote, an exciting step forward.

Thank you to Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-Lackawanna, for championing this bill giving us the right to repair. To help alleviate climate change and keep toxic waste out of our environment, other leaders should support this bill.

Amanda Mitchell

Carrick