You know those little household chores that never seem to get done? Well, this weekend I fixed the wobbly toilet seat and it revealed an unexpected story about the state of sustainability in South Africa.
With some spare credits on my Takealot account I started there, looking at replacing the whole unit, then stopped and thought to myself, but that is daft, it’s only the one set of hinges that need replacing….and there my journey started.
I criss-crossed my suburb visiting the hardware stores and even the local plumbing wholesaler, but it’s simply not possible to buy a set of these hinges. Along the way I chatted to shop assistants and a couple of fellow handymen about my dilemma.
They looked at me with blank looks on their faces. Cheaper, simpler and quicker they could relate to, but sustainable was nowhere in their frame of reference. Circular economy, I didn’t even try.
I did eventually find a repair kit with 24 individual pieces, of which I needed 2. That is 22 wasted items, but it’s one less toilet seat sent to the dump.
Clearly, we have a long way to go in South Africa, and hopefully, soon, more people will start thinking beyond just recycling bottles and cutting out plastic bags, to finding ways to repair and renovate. Judging from how I feel… repairing is a way to feel good, not just about your wallet and your problem-solving skills, but about the little bit you did for the planet as well.
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About the Author
Catherine Wijnberg is a serial entrepreneur and the author of Sheep Will Never Rule The World.
