比起扔掉旧的、不想要的或坏了的电子产品，修理它们，用它们升级再造新物，既环保又能让人充满成就感。

 

Have you got any gadgets¹ hanging around your home that you no longer want or use? Between us, we have millions of bits of tech stockpiled in drawers that could be given a new lease of life.

 

Part of the problem for our unloved gadgets is that many become obsolete² quickly because their software doesn't get updated. Other items are left unused because they're broken or they've become superseded³ by a fancy new version. Many of these items are electronics, but despite them appearing to be past their sell-by date, they don't need to end up in landfill.

 

There are several ways to make the most of our unwanted gadgets. Recycling is the obvious solution. Materials used to make them can be extracted and reused in other things. As an example, Elisabeth Ratcliffe from the Royal Society of Chemistry told the BBC: "There are about thirty different elements just in a smartphone, and many of them are very rare." These can be used in touch screens and solar panels.

 

Probably the best antidote⁴ to our throwaway culture is to repair our broken tech. This takes patience and skill, which can be learnt at repair clubs and repair cafés –free meeting places where you'll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. In the UK, the interest in mending our stuff and giving it a new life is reflected by the popularity of a TV series called The Repair Shop, where craftspeople rescue and resurrect items their owners thought were beyond saving.

 

A final option for your discarded gadgets is to upcycle them. You can breathe new life into unwanted stuff by transforming it into valuable pieces or collectable retroitems. These could be sold on, meaning you can make some cash from your junk and create much needed space in your home!

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