Trash Talk

If it ain’t broke, why are you replacing it?

Nothing makes my ears smoke more then the stupidity of our throw-away attitude. Your phone isn’t the latest invention? It needs an extra mega-pixel? Throw it out, get a new one. Your weed-whacker has a cord and that’s inconvenient, toss it. You’re tired of those dishes you bought last year, kick ’em to the curb. Last years clothes? Gone. There’s a new audio format available? Time for a new collection. Cars, toys, clothes, appliances, etc., etc., etc!

Trash, trash, trash

I sometimes think we should all have dumpsters in our driveways. If we’re going to keep consuming like this, how do we expect our municipalities to maintain waste disposal systems without raising taxes and expanding landfill sites? We need to wake up and smell the dump. I guess my question is this: How can you complain about a two or three dollar bag tag when you’re the one that keeps filling the bags?

Second hand shoes, I’m wearin’ second hand clothes …

I don’t mind admitting that I buy most of my clothes at the Sally Boutique, the Salvation Army Thrift Stores. I like the fact that I’m keeping things out of the landfill and helping support a worthwhile cause at the same time. I’ve expanded this approach to the point where I’m visiting Habitat For Humanity’s Restore whenever I get the chance. This is a store that started selling overages from building supply stores as well as taking in good used building supplies for reselling. The proceeds from the restore sales goes to new builds for Habitat For Humanity, a wonderful organization that deserves everyone’s support.

What goes around …

I find myself stopping at second hand shops whenever I’m travelling just to see if they might have something I’d be interested in. I have to be careful though, I can end up with too much clutter. A flaw in my character convinces me that I’ll make use of things that I really won’t ever use. So that these purchases aren’t a total loss all around, I usually donate things back again after holding them long enough to become annoyed with myself. This means that the Thrift store gets a chance to sell the same thing twice, sometimes almost three times. On a couple of occasions I’ve found myself considering buying something I’ve already donated back, whatever attracted me the first time, was still appealing to me. What’s that they say about a fool and his money?

Disposable life

But the attitude that permeates today’s society and causes this disposable attitude is persisting despite my setting a great example. I’m down to putting out one bag of garbage every month to six weeks, I sew up my clothes when they need repair(okay, sometimes I just wear them damaged), I’m turning out lights and I’m picking up trash and I’m packing out what I pack in when I go anywhere. I try to reduce, reuse and recycle beyond what is expected of me. That way I’ll be ready when we all have to tighten up even further. I know people who drive to the mall and the community centre to go for a walk. Seems a little odd to me. Why not walk to the mall and back, in fact skip the mall and walk to the shore or the park. If you must go someplace to shop, maybe you could walk to the thrift store, eh?

Hey, they’re your kids …

We used to worry about making a better place for our children, now we clearly run the risk of creating a living hell on earth for them. And I must point out here that they are your kids, not mine. My wife said we couldn’t have any ’til I grew up. That hasn’t happened yet, if I were you I wouldn’t be holding my breath …