When it comes to zero waste there are often five R’s to keep in mind: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recyle, and Rot. I would like to add one more R to that cycle: Repair.
We live in a consumerist culture where things are not built to last. Producers are hoping we either grow bored of the new item and want to replace it or that it will break after a short amount of time and need to be replaced.
We used to fix things when they were broken. “Stuff” wasn’t so readily available because it was made slowly with higher quality materials- today it is just not that way.
I think we should bring back fixing things. When something breaks or tears we can try to repair it before letting it go. When we throw something away it doesn’t actually go away, it just goes somewhere else.
As conscious consumers we can learn to work with what we have rather than adding it to an incinerator or a dump.
Let’s become a generation of fixers.
My sweater lost two buttons in the wash! I found the buttons, grabbed my sewing kit and fixed what was broken.
One of my wooden hangers broke and my first thought was to buy a new pack from amazon. But I don’t need a whole new pack of hangers, so I fixed it! With a little hot glue (and patience) it’s as good as new.
So, use what you have, borrow, swap, thrift, make and repair. Save your money and save the planet.
