“Where do you go now, if you have an electric iron or a toaster that needs repairs?” has become a common complaint. Replacing a household appliance is a waste of the Earth’s resources, especially when we’re all admonished to reduce landfill and waste.
It’s not a new problem.
Here is Sam Adams, talking to Mr Belton in “Love Among the Ruins”:
“You’ll not credit it, Belton, but when I was a boy there were little master craftsmen all about Barchester and Hogglestock, and today for example there’s one old locksmith in Barley Street and he hasn’t got a single ‘prentice. The boys are all right but no one encourages them to learn. Ten years from now if your lock is broken you’ll have to take it off and buy a new one, and it will be the same with everything. Don’t mend anything: throw it away and buy a new one, it’s good for trade.”
I’m reading “Love Among the Ruins” (1948) for the third time; surely this counts as recycling?
Leave a Reply