Shopping The Local Garbage Heaps
Filed Under: Do It Yourself, Susatainable Living on October 5, 2009
I don’t know about you, but here in my house, we’re avid used everything hounds. We spend a lot of time at our local second-hand, thrift, and consignment stores.
In fact, we spent this past weekend at one of the biggest bi-annual events here in town: town trash cleanup day. That day comes twice a year and is when everyone piles their garbage on the curb in front of their house and everyone else goes through town eyeballing said garbage for hidden treasures. This day is second only to the town-wide yard sale held in the spring.
This weekend, we found two bathtubs that we’ll be making into raised bed gardens for our elderly neighbor’s flowers and herbs. We also found a great brass lamp with nothing wrong with it but a frayed cord (which I’ve replaced). I also found a wooden magazine rack on wheels that I’ll be repairing for re-use.
My neighbor got to it first, or I’d have gotten a bunch of used water pipes from another neighbor’s remodel. That’s what I get for talking to him about how those can be used as trellises in the garden. Stupid me for sharing information. :)
All in all, there is a lot of stuff that’s out there, headed for the landfill, unless you get to it first. The best form of recycling is refurbishing, the next best form is re-purposing, and finally the last best form is breaking it down to its constituent parts to be re-used. Any of us can actively participate in the first or second forms quite easily. All it takes is a little ingenuity, some tools, and a desire to do some good and have some interesting fun.
Best of all, if you’re not particularly handy, you don’t have to worry too much about screwing it up. If you only manage to have your repair attempt turn into more breakage… oh well. It didn’t cost you anything and at least you tried. No matter what shape something is in, it can almost always be recycled. This is the perfect way for beginners to start learning how to build and repair things.
You’ve probably seen from some of the DIY posts I’ve made on this blog that we have iron and steel pots and pans, glass, metal, and stoneware bowls and baking dishes, etc. We didn’t spend a fortune to get any of those things. While a few were gifts, the vast majority of those came to us via thrift stores and garage sales. The most expensive implement in our kitchen that isn’t an appliance didn’t cost us more than $10.
The best thing about things made before the 1990s (and especially before the 1970s) is that it was made to last and built with the capability of being repaired. Most things made after the 1980s were made to be thrown out. Consequently, I prefer old utensils and tools. So I aim for the old stuff whenever it’s found.
Here’s an idea of some of the things I have and my recollection of their cost at purchase:
- 1940s crank drill (shoulder type, which has many names): free gift from my father-in-law
- 1940s block plane, metal planes, and specialty door planers: $20 as a set
- 1960s kitchen dough kneader/pie crust mixer: $3
- 1990s Oster blender with glass jar and extra blade set: $10 (yard sale)
- 1980s glass bakeware (set of 5): $5 (yard sale)
- 1980s 5-drawer metal filing cabinet, deep set, $10 (school liquidation sale)
We literally have a household made up of used and thrift store items. For the life of me, I haven’t figured out why so many people are so adamant about buying brand new, shiny, and most of all disposable items from the store. Why would anyone pay $150 for a kitchen blender that is probably going to break in two years and get thrown out? Ours is sturdy, a good manufacturing brand, and cost us only $10.
In my view, every family should own a basic set of hand tools (easy to find, even cheap ones are better than none), sewing tools, and have an interest in repairs. My wife’s sewing machine gets little credit, but it does a lot of work that, without which, we would have to spend a lot more on clothing and linen replacements. My own semi-handiwork has resulted in book shelves, furniture repair, electrical fixes, and home-built garden boxes and even tools.
With our landfills getting larger by the hour, pollution from all of this manufacturing, and huge debt loads because of this rampant consumerism, I have to wonder when people will wake up.
We can’t keep going with this forever, folks, and sooner or later, the rent’s going to come due. Life is more interesting when you have fun than it is when you spend all your time struggling with things. Sometimes, that fun comes from trying to repair, refurbish, or rebuild something and seeing it turn out nothing like what you’d envisioned. Still, it was fun. And usually it’s a family affair that can get everyone involved.
When I was a kid, my dad would drag us out to help him change the oil in the cars and on the tractor, help him build something like a shed or fence, or make me hold the flashlight while he tried to figure out what was leaking and why. Today, my wife and I find fun stuff in junk piles and at the second hand store and we bring it home and spend time laughing at our attempts to fix it up or use it for something other than its original purpose. Sometimes it works and we are thrilled.
When our child is born early next year, she’ll be involved in all that too. In fact, much of what she is surrounded with right off the bat will be a part of this lifestyle we have. I’ve already downloaded plans for building a cradle, found a $10 crib that was like brand new at the thrift store (just needed some finish), and we’re working on some home made quilts, bedding, and more.
New stuff is never as fun as the great DIY stuff and definitely doesn’t have the memories or attachment you get. One of my goals with this blog is to go beyond just yapping about environmental issues or doing the same old gardening and recipes stuff. I’ll be showing you how to change the oil on your vehicle, how to sharpen knives, how to fix up old stuff or build something new.
Hopefully, you’ll start doing this sort of thing too and find it enjoyable enough that you’ll show your friends, and they will show theirs… In the end, we could be part of a larger cultural revolution away from the rampant consumerism and polluting lifestyles we’ve been living and towards a more sustainable, enjoyable world.
