Recover, Re-purpose, Repair, Regift

by The Tatwa Girl · Published 13th October 2024 · Updated 15th October 2024

October offers plenty of opportunities to reflect on our choices and embrace more eco-friendly, sustainable habits. With important dates like International Repair Day on 21st October (first celebrated in 2017), International E-waste Day on 14th October, and Sustainability Day on the fourth Wednesday of the month, it’s the perfect time to rethink how we approach waste and repair.

Growing up in India, the repair concept is deeply ingrained in my life. We are a repair economy, and since childhood, I’ve watched my mother, grandmother, and aunts repair everything in the house—whether it was torn clothes, old boxes, damaged quilts, or worn-out rugs. Repairing wasn’t just about saving money, it was about giving items a second life, reducing waste, and showing care for what we own.

One beautiful example of this philosophy is the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, turning the cracks into something more beautiful than before. Kintsugi teaches us that imperfections aren’t something to hide but to celebrate, as they become a part of the object’s history. Similarly, when we or the things around us break, we shouldn’t throw them away. Instead, we can embrace the repair process, finding beauty in the scars and giving them new meaning.

In this way, repair becomes more than a practice—it’s a mindset. It reminds us to value what we have, whether it’s the objects we use or the emotional wounds we carry. By repairing rather than discarding, we cultivate a culture of mindfulness, resilience, and sustainability.

Repair

Change it up – think ‘repair’ before you think ‘rubbish’! Instead of throwing out your good shoes – take them to a boot maker and have them resoled and reheeled. Find out if you have a local men’s shed who are involved in fixing and repairing a whole range of things. Repair is fixing or restoring broken items to be used.

International Repair Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of October each year. The day is dedicated to promoting repair as a sustainable and viable solution to prolong the life of products, reduce waste, and encourage a circular economy. It highlights the importance of repairing items, from electronics to household goods, rather than discarding them prematurely.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Open Repair Alliance and aims to:

Raise awareness about the environmental benefits of repair.
Support local repair initiatives, like repair cafes and workshops.
Challenge companies to design products that are easier to repair.
Promote the “right to repair,” a movement pushing for policies that allow consumers and independent repair shops to fix devices more easily.

International Repair Day emphasizes empowering individuals to repair, sharing knowledge, and fostering a community where fixing things is accessible and celebrated.

Apart from repair, there are other similar things one can do –

Borrow, Don’t Buy

Be mindful of the life cycle of any item you purchase or acquire. Where did it come from and where will it end up? There are tons of options for borrowing and sharing to help reduce how much stuff you own. Choose to reuse as much as you can.

The sharing economy is bigger than ever. Access a wide variety of items and services only when you need them. If you need books, movies or magazines, visit your local library. You can even set up your own little free library in your neighborhood. Toys take up lots of space and are often non-recyclable. Try using a resource like a toy-sharing library in Minneapolis or set up a hand-me-down network. Instead of giving gifts that someone won’t use or need, provide experiential gifts that create fun memories, not waste.

Choose to Fix-it

When things become worn or stop working, they often end up in the trash. By fixing and maintaining the items in our homes, we can keep them functioning longer. This way, you will have other options, like donation or resale, instead of adding them to the waste stream. Bring your items to county fix-it clinics for help or use online repair resources. You can even borrow the tools you need from local resources like the Minnesota Tool Library.

Donate

Extend the life cycle of an item you may no longer need by selling or donating it. Networks like Nextdoor allow you to interact with other users in your neighborhood to communicate and exchange items and services. Craigslist and Facebook also have ways to sell your items and buy used items online. For safety’s sake, it’s recommended to only deal with people locally and use sanctioned exchange locations, like the swap spot in Hennepin County.

Review

By refusing and repairing, you make it much easier to reduce items you don’t need and reuse items you already have. Always look for more ways to reduce and keep working to create less waste and make sure your items are recycled as much as possible. Do a zero-waste challenge or waste audit. Are there items you could do without? Commit to your decision to reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, refuse, and review by sharing your story. Be proud of your achievements!

Repurpose – to take something and use it for something else. This requires a bit of thinking and craftiness but doesn’t have to be beautiful.

Repurpose scrap paper for taking notes.
Repurpose metal cans and buckets for creative plant containers.
Repurpose wood crates into benches or shelves.
Repurpose material shavings to help clean up spills.
Repurpose HVAC condensate as a source of distilled water.

Recover means taking energy or materials from wastes that cannot be used anymore.

Reducing simply means lessening the use of unnecessary materials. it means avoiding disposable or single-use products.

Recover

This is the recovery of waste without any pre-processing. For example, waste oils that cannot be refined for reuse in vehicles can be burnt for energy recovery. Recovering the energy from waste oil reduces our dependence on coal and imported oil.

Residual Management

This is the last option when waste cannot be used in any other way. Usually, this means sending rubbish to a landfill. Residual disposal of liquid waste is normally into a sewer or septic tank.

It is very important to manage residual solid and liquid waste properly. Waste not disposed of correctly can cause damage to health and the environment.

Regift or sell

When the kids grow out of their clothes or have outgrown their toys, hand them on to friends and family or take them to the op shop. You could even make some money while helping the environment by selling unwanted items on OLX.com or eBay.

Thank you for reading! Prachi The Tatwa Girl
Check the elements below to explore #TheTatwaGirl writings on various topics. I write about all the elements of nature (Panchtatva), and each holds a special place in my heart. Here’s a glimpse of what I cover under each element:

Fire Element—Under the Fire Tatwa, I share recipes and food-related articles. This section is inspired by the energy and life force of fire, and I bring you some unique, soulful recipes that nourish and energize.
Sky Element- The Sky Tatwa reflects my love for travel. Here, I write about the endless skies and towering mountain peaks I’ve experienced during my journeys. It’s about those moments of awe and wonder when you feel connected to the vastness above.
Water Element – The Water Tatwa represents my emotions. Like flowing water, my thoughts and feelings pour out in this space. It’s a reflection of my inner self, constantly moving, adapting, and evolving.
Air element – The Air Tatwa represents the air around us. The customs and traditions, festivals people celebrate, and beliefs in certain places.
Earth Element – For Earth Tatwa, I write about environmental issues and eco-friendly living solutions. This is where I share tips on how to live in harmony with our planet, balancing our needs with nature’s offerings. Through Green Tatwa Talks, you can learn sustainable living practices from my website. In today’s world, sustainable development has become a necessity. Make sure to listen to my Green Tatwa Talks podcast, where I bring together inspiring individuals and organizations who are actively working to protect the environment and bring about positive change.

Being Eco-Friendly is not a choice, make it a habit.