Day 21 of the Zero Waste Challenge
What if your laptop is slowing down, should I buy a new one or can you fix it?
What if your fruit mixer is dying should you buy a new one or can you get it fixed somewhere?
Today companies make products to break. Why? Because they want to keep selling you more stuff. We know that creating more products has a significant toll on the planet since it requires more resources to be dug up from the ground, and CO2 emission is produced in the process.
First, ask your self?
Does it need to be new, or can you fix it?
Sometimes it can be too complicated to fix because items can be plastic welded or really hard to get to. Perhaps see if you can buy a used version of it?
I have the feeling that a majority of humans realize that, what the media has pounded into our brains that we always need the latest and newest gadgets to be accepted, and to feel worthy, I feel like there is a significant move away from that. And people tend to wake up and realize that their worthiness has nothing to do with the car they drive or the number in their bank account, the Calvin Klein underpants which no one sees except for your partner anyway.
I have to admit buying second-hand clothes wasn’t easy for me, and I still struggle with the idea of wearing someone else’s clothes. But when I buy something new now, I look for a couple of things, like how are the workers being treated is it made with organic cotton or other sustainable resources.
But this is only for clothes, How about products like cameras, toys, computers, lamps, etc.?
Have you heard of Repair Cafe? This is one way of dealing with items you may not be able to fix by yourself. Perhaps you are lacking the tools or the resources to make you toaster work again. That’s were the Repair Cafe comes in.
Now, if you can’t fix it, see if you can buy it second hand.
Websites like eBay or Letgo are great resources to find second-hand products.
- If you are in Australia check out Gumtree.
- The USA check out Craigslist
- Canada check out Kijiji
- Europe eBay
- In New Zealand Trade me
Often the misconception with zero waste is that you now should go out there and buy all the items you have made from plastic and replace them with zero-waste products.
But that is not the idea here. You might actually find that you already have a lot of reusable bottles in your cupboards or down in the basement boxed in cardboard.
The idea behind the zero waste lifestyle is not to go and buy all new zero waste products. It is to reduce your waste. See if you can fix it? Or buy it second hand.
Perhaps you have a Repair Cafe nearby?
If you still have the Tupperware collection lying around and you don’t want to package your food in them anymore, I understand, but before throwing them in the recycling bin, see what other uses you can find for them. It may just come in handy as a storage unit for your paint or Christmas decoration. There are many options, and I am sure you can come up with some really useful once for yourself.
