LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Let's fix our laws

Posted

To the editor:

Have you ever had to replace a coffee machine or dishwasher because it couldn’t be fixed, or was too expensive to have it fixed by the manufacturer?

As more and more of our appliances and home devices are designed to be disposable, our future is one full of waste and needless expenses. If we were able to more easily repair what we owned, it would have a massive impact on the longevity of our appliances, our wallets and our planet.

There is a national repair movement brewing. Consumers are demanding the right to fix what we own, and are rejecting the notion that what we own has to be disposable.

New York has the potential to be the first state to pass right-to-repair legislation, which requires companies to give people access to spare parts at “fair and reasonable terms,” and providing all customers and third-party repair technicians access to repair instructions.

These terms are very similar to the rights we already enjoy for our automobiles — the ability to find parts and perform repairs outside of the dealership.

Currently, there are two bills advancing that have a real chance of making sustainable repair a reality: S.6309 in the senate, and A.7416A in the Assembly.

New York residents can locate their representatives and urge them to support this important legislation by visiting NewYork.Repair.org.

Jeannie Crowley

 

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Jeannie Crowley,

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