The revolution in your bin

SUNDAY lunch with the really interesting people in my life led me down a mini-research path and I investigated the circular economy.

- ASHLEY GREEN-THOMPSON

A circular economy is an economic model where the stuff we make and buy are kept in use for as long as possible.

Instead of the traditional approach that is described as “take-make-dispose”, or quite simply the “throwaway” culture that is so prevalent, this model focuses on repairing things that break so that they can be used again. Instead of throwing away the stuff we no longer need, we recycle it — send it to the people who know how to make new things from old stuff.

We minimise waste and resource extraction, we reduce damage to the environment, and we can promote sustainable development by keeping products and materials in circulation for longer. It’s common sense if we want to keep the Earth healthy enough to sustain future generations — and I've got a grandson to worry about.

It isn’t something that started yesterday. For centuries, indigenous cultures and knowledge systems in Africa and elsewhere lived in harmony with their surroundings, understanding and respecting the ecosystems that gave their societies life and sustenance. Respect for the environment and taking only that which you needed to survive was the basis of economic interaction.