Eco Anxious Americans Stockpile $1,121 worth of broken ‘junk’ at home
Expensive tech tops the list of things people hide away
1 in 5 people hang onto broken things for years
Top reasons for secret stash are guilt and lack of repair skills
‘Cupboards of shame’ fuel nations eco anxiety
Study of 1000 Adults in the US commissioned by Sugru Moldable Glue
Eco conscious Americans are filling their homes with broken things rather than throwing out or repairing, according to a new poll.
New research of 1000 families in the US has revealed that cupboards and drawers are filled with an average of $1,121 worth of broken items per household at any one time.
Despite over half (58%) of people in the US instinctively wanting to repair stuff as soon as it breaks, 1 in 5 people admitted to holding onto broken items for well over a year.
Laptops (41%), phones (40%) and tablets (37%) featured high on the list of broken things families hide away alongside garden tools (42%), exercise equipment (34%) and broken Christmas decorations (30%).
Feeling unsure about how to fix something and feeling too guilty to throw it out were the top two reasons why eco anxious Americans hold onto broken items for so long.
A spokesperson from Sugru Moldable Glue who commissioned the research said “It’s so frustrating when stuff breaks and understandable when people fret about adding it to landfill. Every house has this kind of cupboard of shame, with no clue how to tackle it. Making repair easier for people will be crucial in beating our throwaway culture and help people save money along the way.”
The poll also found that a quarter of people admitted to only sometimes getting around to repairing broken things, with 46 percent of people resigned to the idea that many things can’t be fixed.
Pick up some repair tips and download a Fixer’s Manifesto for free at Sugru.com
Top 16 broken items Americans hide away
- Garden Tools 42%
- Laptops 41%
- Phones 40%
- Family Treasures 39%
- Tablets 37%
- Watches 36%
- Exercise Equipment 34%
- Furniture 33%
- TV’s 32%
- Kids’s Toys 31%
- Christmas Decorations 30%
- Picture Frames 30%
- Ornaments 30%
- Kitchen Appliances 28%
- Kindles 26%
- Crockery 26%
