[Oscar Too]

There are a lot of posts mentioning cheap equipment, electrical goods, accessories and so on.

I like a bargain as much as the next person.  However, some of the prices that are mentioned are so low that questions immediately arise in my mind.

When a piece of kit is sold new at a silly price, I ask myself about the external cost of producing that kit – the pollution produced by shipping it in from whatever low-labour-cost country it came from; the human and environmental cost of mining the raw materials to make the stuff; the cost to the workers being exploited in export zones to make cheap stuff for the West to buy; the encouragement of our throw-away society, where clothes and tools are bought cheap and thrown away easily.

If all these costs were to be truly reflected in the price, I am sure that it would be higher.  I think we’d see a change in our attitude to clothes and tools too.  We’d start looking at whether it was well made and would last.  We’d be happy to buy it knowing that it comes from a country that respect basic human and workers’ rights.  We might find that we take pride in keeping things in good working order, rather than throwing them out when broken or just stale.

We might also find that there is less pollution, more local jobs making and mending things, less alienation and hatred of the West in the countries where poor people are exploited.

In short, I think “Frugal Living” involves fixing and maintaining, repairing, recycling, using less and caring more.  

Oscar

[liz from the fizz]

I believe we all do what we can to the best of  our abilities and budgets, however sometimes its real good to get a bargain.  Lots of the threads on this site tell you how to make stuff from what is landfill fodder and long may it continue.
Lots of us belong to "freecycle" which also helps keep the landfill down.
As i said we all do our best.

[mkhenry]

I believe we all do what we can to the best of  our abilities and budgets, however sometimes its real good to get a bargain.  Lots of the threads on this site tell you how to make stuff from what is landfill fodder and long may it continue.
Lots of us belong to "freecycle" which also helps keep the landfill down.
As i said we all do our best.

Liz you are so right.In an earlier life I found myself in charge of 5 landfill sites for London Brick.I thought it was ok because I was reclaiming 1000s of acres of land from which brick clay had been dug.
The items dumped in those days(1970s) included low grade gold and silver slurry,because it was to expensive to extract. Low rate radio active material.New kitchens,sinks, baths, wood,all sorts of chemicals.The list is truly extensive and unbelievable.We now know better,at least I hope we do. :shock:
Even in those far off days some people had the sense to reclaim a lot of the dumped items.There was often fights and slanging matches for the best goods which soon turned up for sale. :?
I had around a total of 200 staff all of whom "collected"their own items from car batterys to bike bits.Which paid for Holidays etc.
I was famous for my "Blind Eye"

[Gwiz]

all i can say, oscar too, is that my wife and i have felt the same way now for so many years it's become second nature to question how and where something has been produced, so much so, in fact, we more often then not end up not buying it at all, and trying to find the same thing produced in the UK. as we become more of a service industry type of nation instead of a manufactoring nation, this will become even and more difficult for future generations, of course.

[Bagpuss]

You are so right.  I was at the tip/recycling plant yesterday - you can get free compost there, which is great.

Among lots of stuff that looked OK to me was a lovely old wooden fireside chair with a wicker back,  (it wasn't even in the in the wood recycling bin, but in the landfill container.)  I commented to one of the workers on what a waste it was, and it could be given to a charity shop or even fetch a few bob at an auction, so why didn't they rescue it, he said that three workers had been sacked for taking stuff recently.  Apparently there are security cameras all over the site :?  

Why can't the better stuff be put out for others to take if they want it?  How ridiculous, sacking people for taking stuff that is thrown away.  What is the matter with the local authorities they have no real commitment to recycling, despite all their hype. :evil:

[emmalm]

I would agree that frugal living is about fixing and maintaining, repairing, recycling and using less. But it is also about being careful with the money that you do have when you have to buy things.

My allotment had nothing on it but weeds and grass so I am recycling bits like wood where ever possible and have been able to get a compost bin and a manual lawnmower from freecycle. But other bits and pieces I am having to buy. So knowing where these are on offer is great to make my money go further.

I would love to be able to buy things locally made and knowing exactly how it has been made, by who, but the reality is I simply can't afford to.

At least with the allotment I can grow and feed my family good seasonal food which I know where it has come from and what chemicals (if any) have been used on it. So I can reducing my need for vegetables shipped from all round the world.

As Liz says we all do our best.

[David.]

Last Tuesday, at my daughter's riding lesson, we noticed the 'giant wheelbarrow' was out of action due to a broken front strut.

As they are so helpful in bagging up poo & straw for us (yes, we are doing them a favour by taking it away), I spent 30 minutes making a new strut out of an old steel tent pole (that my wife asked just the other day what I am keeping it for). Actually I was keeping the tubing to mend the petrol mower handles which broke again the next day.

So with one old steel tent pole & 30 minutes work, I saved us £100 and the riding stables £80 + us both the trips to the dump.

So thats why I also grow extra veg/flowers; If they fail we have enough, otherwise we can be generous and swop/exchange/etc.

[richyrich7]

You are so right.  I was at the tip/recycling plant yesterday - you can get free compost there, which is great.

Why can't the better stuff be put out for others to take if they want it?  How ridiculous, sacking people for taking stuff that is thrown away.  What is the matter with the local authorities they have no real commitment to recycling, despite all their hype. :evil:

We get charged £2.50 for 40l of compost at our tips and we are not allowed to take stuff that could be useful  :?  PCness gone mad, to worried about some idiot suing them.

[noshed]

Tescos sell compost for £3 for 40L and they are the spawn of the devil so ya boo to anyone who sells it dearer.

[Trillium]

I have the same problem over here with our dumps, as we call them. You can take stuff in and you're charged by the quantity, but you cannot 'legally' take things out. However, I notice that the fellow on duty leaves at day's end with a rather full pickup truck load of things I'm sure he didn't go in with. If you really want something, it needs to be taken with slight of hand, which is so silly considering the 'going green' campaign our gov't is on the current band wagon with. Our local dump is almost full and the officials are looking for a new site. How silly considering people would gladly take a lot of things they'd find useful and the current landfill could go on for a few more years. Typical gov't reasoning: if it makes sense, then forget it.

[jackiestagg]

this thing about not being able to take stuff from the tip skips is because the companies that run the 'recycling' get paid by the govt. on quantity, so you are doing them out of money by re-using stuff. As the govt. can't produce any meaningful (to them) statistics on reduction and re-using, they aren't interested in these parts of the cycle and concentrate on recycling because they can give tonnages. Sad innit. But I know a tip where crossing palms with silver (or more likely paper) will get them loading the stuff into your car for you. But they are taking a risk doing it. So I'm extra nice to them and hope I don't get them the sack

[David.]

As the govt. can't produce any meaningful (to them) statistics on reduction and re-using, they aren't interested in these parts of the cycle and concentrate on recycling because they can give tonnages. Sad innit

My local council's paper collection rate increased 2 fold several years ago.

All they did was change collection from plastic sacks to open baskets (in which the paper got soaked in the rain and increased in weight).

Could we have a sticky "council best practice" thread somewhere on this forum?

[seadart]

On our local tip it's run by a contractor they get "First Dabs" on anything useful but there is alway some "put aside" that you can negociate for!

 It works for them I can't see why it can't work everywhere