We live in a disposable culture where often it’s cheaper to throw old things away and replace them than it is to make repairs. We’re about to do this with our digital camera – I cracked the screen the other day and it turns out that it’s just cheaper to go out and get a new camera than replace bits. That’s unless anyone knows differently and can give me some good advice.
On a personal scale this doesn’t seem like very much, but what happens when our big national corporations start to make this kind of decision? As it turns out, it’s cheaper for the NHS to provide new walking frames, sticks, chair raisers and other home helps, than it is for them to collect, clean and reuse the material.
Yes, I’m a little horrified when I know of someone in Uganda who could probably use every last bit that’s being thrown away. Just this week she was making a splint from Banana leaves and paper mache.
Yes, I am thinking that somehow I could collect all that stuff we’re throwing away, clean it and send it to Uganda in a crate. Anyone else interested?
Great post. And I’m all for reducing, reusing and recycling. But why do other people have to settle for our junk? There is something fundamentally wrong when we throw good stuff out just for the sake of being slick and up-to-date.