Skip to main content

Participant Information

Please take the time to read the following information. If you have any further questions, please contact danielle.purkiss@ucl.ac.uk at UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub.

Invitation to participate

This study is called the Big Repair Project and has been granted UCL Research and Ethics Committee approval. It is a nationwide research project about citizen maintenance and repair of home appliances and electronics. It is one of the initiatives of UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub as part of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metals - led by Brunel University London in partnership with University of Warwick and UCL. The study comprises a short online survey about opinions and behaviours towards maintenance and repair of home appliances and electronics (either yourself or via professional services), and an optional Logbook to share details of maintenance and repair activities (both successful and unsuccessful). The study is ongoing until December 2024 under its current research funding programme.

Project aims

This study is for everyone (age 16+). By taking part in this study, you will help identify key issues with household maintenance and repair of home appliances and electronics and inform UK Right To Repair policy development. The information you share with us will feed into our Map, Gallery and open access reports. With your consent we will keep you up-to-date with the study as it develops. Alternatively you can choose not to be contacted again.

Taking part

Your participation is entirely voluntary and confidential. You will be notified and given the option to consent before submitting any personal information. The first part of the study is a short survey. We would like to know your opinions and behaviours towards the maintenance and repair of home appliances and electronics. You will be notified and given the option to take part via a 'Get started' button at the start of the survey. Consent to submit information will be sought via a consent and submit button. The second part of the study is an optional Logbook to record your maintenance and repair activities. For further information see our Logbook Guidelines. You will be notified and given the option to create a Logbook account via a 'Get started' button at the start of the Logbook. Consent to submit information will be sought via a consent and submit button.

Information handling

The lawful basis for processing your personal data will be for the ‘performance of a task in the public interest’. Request for personal information is kept to a minimum and is anonymised, which means that your responses will not be identifiable. Your personal data will be kept strictly confidential and will only be processed by the research team for the purposes of this study. We will minimise the processing of your personal data wherever possible. UCL Data Protection provides an oversight of UCL’s activities involving the processing of personal data. If you are concerned about how your personal data is being processed, or wish to withdraw your information from this project, please contact UCL Data Protection in the first instance at data-protection@ucl.ac.uk. For further information see our UCL Privacy Notice.

Withdrawal from the study

Participants have the option to withdraw from the study and remove their personal data and/or contact email from our mailing list at anytime. Please send your request to danielle.purkiss@ucl.ac.uk

Images

You have the option to share photographs of your maintenance and repair activities. You can also choose to share them anonymously on our Gallery page to help us promote maintenance and repair across the UK. Consent to display images will be requested via an 'add my photo to the gallery' tick box. Images must not include any personal identifiable information such as faces or addresses. See Logbook Guidelines for further information on how to photograph your maintenance or repair activities.

What will happen to the results?

The results of this project will be shared with policymakers and manufacturers, as well as other interest groups concerned with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Your responses will be anonymised, so you will not be personally identifiable in any presentations, reports, or publications. We would also like to keep you updated about the progress of the study, which will do through our Big Repair Project and UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub websites. A summary of the results will be made annually.

Health and safety

Maintenance and repair activities are carried out at your own personal risk. For your own safety, we recommend that you assess the risks of your activity before starting, including your skill level and knowledge, and environmental hazards, such as electrical and chemical dangers. UCL is not responsible for loss, damage, or injury caused by any maintenance or repair activities, the details of which may be shared voluntarily with this study. Participants must be aged 16+ and supervised by a responsible adult if under 18.

Further questions

If you have any other questions, please contact Danielle at UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub at danielle.purkiss@ucl.ac.uk

Concerns or complaints?

If you have any concerns or complaints about this study, please contact Danielle at UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub at danielle.purkiss@ucl.ac.uk, or the Chair of UCL’s Research Ethics Committee at ethics@ucl.ac.uk

Further information

The Big Repair Project was designed by the UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub. The website was developed by Ten4. It is one of the initiatives of UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub as part of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metals - led by Brunel University London in partnership with University of Warwick and UCL. The UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub is a multidisciplinary team of experts from across UCL who are devising and testing new interventions to eliminate material waste.