A Redditor who received a hand-me-down Roomba from their brother was shocked after discovering they needed a paid subscription to use the robotic vacuum cleaner.
What's happening?
The Reddit user explained in r/mildlyinfuriating that Roomba manufacturer iRobot sends their brother a new Roomba on occasion as part of his subscription.
Not wanting his old Roomba to go unused after receiving an updated version — and being told by the company not to return his old vacuum — the brother handed it off to the original poster. However, the OP was in for a horrible surprise after setting up their vacuum.
"We find without a subscription the whole thing is bricked!" the OP wrote. "It is hardware he physically owned but now can't use it, can't give it away, it's just garbage. What a waste!"
"Can't things just do their job without additional fees?" one commenter asked in exasperation.
"Imagine having to pay a subscription fee to keep your fridge running or something? This is getting out of hand," another Redditor wrote, highlighting their frustration with a growing number of technologies that require subscriptions to have any functionality.
Why is this important?
Electronics contain valuable finite materials, and they often have plastic components. When items are rendered obsolete, it takes an economic and environmental toll.
There are billions of dollars in losses each year of metals like lithium, gold, and copper, and that wastage adds to a toxic waste stream rising five times faster than e-waste recycling efforts, per the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
Is iRobot doing anything about this?
It is unclear which subscription service the OP's brother signed up for, but it appears to be iRobot Select, which iRobot discontinued last year, according to The Verge. The outlet noted that existing subscribers could keep their benefits.
On its website, iRobot says that subscribers purchase rather than lease the Roombas. However, buyers lose vacuum functionality if they discontinue their membership — meaning the equipment would be useless even if it had many years of life left.
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Definitely 👍 The brother's acceptance of an upgraded Roomba seems to have unlinked membership benefits from the older Roomba model, leading to unnecessary waste.
For non-members, the company does have a trade-in program that rewards buyers with up to $150 in credit for a new vacuum. "For any robot sent in, we will take care of recycling anything we reasonably can so you don't have to," iRobot writes.
It also encourages consumers to responsibly discard their robots and their batteries, directing them to Call2Recycle to find a nearby e-waste facility.
What can be done about e-waste more broadly?
If there's a silver lining, the reported functionality issues with hand-me-down Roombas appear to be confined to the paused subscription plan. "I was confused because I have a hand-me-down Roomba. It works without a subscription," one commenter said of the OP's dilemma.
Educating yourself about critical climate issues can help you determine whether a subscription program will be a boon or a drain on your wallet and the environment in the long run.
Meanwhile, Trashie provides instant rewards to consumers for recycling e-waste with its Tech Take Back Box, which you can load with up to 10 pounds of unwanted electronics. Major retailers like Best Buy also have programs that let you make money off your old electronics.
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