Coming from a society in which disposing of rubbish is an increasingly complex and costly business, and a visit to the dumpit site has become almost a form of recreation, it is delightful to find ourselves in a community where, it seems, very little is counted as rubbish and obsolescence is practically unheard-of.
When we bought our 1993 Toyota Prado Landcruiser, it was hailed as a ‘new’ car, and in truth it is relatively new by Ugandan standards. Most cars on the road in Uganda start their life as 10-year-old used-car imports from countries like Japan. They are then subjected to the most severe road conditions imaginable and many are kept going long after they should have been written-off.
But this is true of so many things. Many of the items we dispose of are gratefully retrieved by Lucy (our home-help) for her own use: old plastic squash bottles can be used for storing kerosene, cooking oil or other liquids (and yes, we know of the dangers to children); old saucepans and casseroles with loose handles, or no handles at all are still perfectly serviceable for Lucy; and an old, not very attractive, battery-driven clock which had given up the ghost, she retrieved saying she knew someone who could mend it.
Which brings me to the bowl and the flip-flops in the pictures.
A plastic bowl might cost around 3,000 USh (80p) in a hardware store in Arua, but if your monthly income is, 40,000 Ush (£12) or less that’s a great deal of money. So, when it suffers from plastic fatigue, you mend it.
The same with flip-flops. Anne bought these for 1,400 Ush (c.40p). It’s her second pair. The strap on the first pair became detached from the sole. She was going to throw them away, but Lucy wouldn’t hear of it. They can be mended for 100 Ush (you work it out!). Anne is looking forward to taking delivery of the repaired pair very soon.
When we bought our 1993 Toyota Prado Landcruiser, it was hailed as a ‘new’ car, and in truth it is relatively new by Ugandan standards. Most cars on the road in Uganda start their life as 10-year-old used-car imports from countries like Japan. They are then subjected to the most severe road conditions imaginable and many are kept going long after they should have been written-off.
But this is true of so many things. Many of the items we dispose of are gratefully retrieved by Lucy (our home-help) for her own use: old plastic squash bottles can be used for storing kerosene, cooking oil or other liquids (and yes, we know of the dangers to children); old saucepans and casseroles with loose handles, or no handles at all are still perfectly serviceable for Lucy; and an old, not very attractive, battery-driven clock which had given up the ghost, she retrieved saying she knew someone who could mend it.
Which brings me to the bowl and the flip-flops in the pictures.
A plastic bowl might cost around 3,000 USh (80p) in a hardware store in Arua, but if your monthly income is, 40,000 Ush (£12) or less that’s a great deal of money. So, when it suffers from plastic fatigue, you mend it.
The same with flip-flops. Anne bought these for 1,400 Ush (c.40p). It’s her second pair. The strap on the first pair became detached from the sole. She was going to throw them away, but Lucy wouldn’t hear of it. They can be mended for 100 Ush (you work it out!). Anne is looking forward to taking delivery of the repaired pair very soon.
4 comments:
We've got a lot of learning to do here in the UK. I wonder when we'll start?
Does an absence of the notion of obsolescence (I don't think I've ever written that word before!)apply to how older people are treated too? Just reflecting on how people are sometimes described as 'unemployable' here when they get into their mid-50s.
Bethan and I don't need to find a new home to move into next time when we relocate. If we collect the containers, bottles, packaging and loo roll tubes, I'm sure we could BUILD a home. I love the mended bowl...how refreshing an end to my day here in London. Thanks for taking the time to write these folks! Love you. Ben & Bethan x
So inspired am I by this tale of defining rubbish, that I am considering basing my Thursday lunchtime talk at church on the subject. I'll give you a run down of the final piece when it's done...perhaps you could recycle that too and use it for something else! Lots of love xxx
PS Went past the Duke of York pub in Kings Cross today and suddenly missed you very much!
Love the shoes Anne! It brings a whole different meaning to recycling. I've just been dumping stuff that would be so useful there, but here it's for the skip.
Hope that you are making progress with the language - I say this as someone who struggles with English - I don't even know what Ugandan sounds like (if that's the term). God Bless you Both.
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