Use it up, Wear it out...

I've found that quite often, people of the younger generation don't think that we members of the older generation do, or ever did, recycling.  But, truth be known, we were recycling way before the word ever came into popular usage.  We are from the generation that grew up with the phrase 'use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.' 

We didn't have plastic bins to separate paper, plastics, glass and such, and then conveniently set them at the curb for somebody else to pick up.  Bottles were returned to the store, and they would return them when the distributor came and then recycled and either re-used, or melted and re-formed into new bottles.  Although it would be a hassle for stores to do this now-a-days, I still think it's a shame it's gone by the wayside.  It's mind boggling to think of all the glass that could be recycled instead of going to a landfill.  Not every community offers recycling, so much glass still goes into garbage bags when it could be recycled.

Back in the 50's, things were built to last.  Today, almost everything has what they call 'built in obsolescence.' In other words, things are made so that they only last a few years, and then you have to purchase a new one.  Built in obsolescence may keep a company selling merchandise to repeat buyers, but at what cost in terms of gigantic waste of items that won't disintegrate in the landfills for years?!

A friend of mine has an old refrigerator from the 1950's in his garage.  It's used mainly to store beer and pop during the hot months.  This old refrigerator has never needed one repair in it's lifetime, and is still running strong.  Of course, I'm sure it's not as energy efficient as the newer models of today, but the point is: it was made to last...and it did! 

Up until about 1995 or '96, I had a toaster from the 50's.  Talk about one funky looking appliance! Despite the fact that it looked like an old Air Stream trailer in size and design, it worked perfectly up until it toasted itself to death.  That means it worked perfectly fine for right around 50 years!  Find me one toaster you've ever owned that lasted that long...I've had 3 toasters just since when I replaced the old one!!  Point being: the old one was built to last, and those other 2 that only lasted a couple of years went off to the landfill of useless obsolete objects.

Furniture was made to last too.  I have chairs that were from the 1800's that have lasted way longer than that computer desk I bought and had to put together myself.  Back then, they were made with sturdy wood, and with jointing that didn't use staples.  When old club chairs got worn, we made new slipcovers, or re-upholstered them, and they were just like new.  Todays chairs probably don't last long enough to ever have their fabric get worn, they usually break before they hit that point.  Sagging seats on the club chairs and sofas?  We re-tied the springs.  Sagging seats now mean the whole chair gets tossed because there's no fixing to them.

We also did re-purposing.  I had a neighbor give me an old Singer Sewing Machine.  The bottom treadles and ironwork was in perfect condition, but the machine and cabinet top were destroyed beyond repair.  He said that he had a hunch that if anybody could find a new purpose for it, that I could.  (I'm not positive to this day whether that was a hint at my old age, or something to do with clever ingenuity.) I took off the top pieces, and made a desk top for it, and it relives again as a table that holds my portable sewing machine when I'm sewing. I've had lots of people ask where they could get one like it. It could have gone to the landfill, but, as back in my youth, it's always intriguing to figure out some new purpose for something.

Even clothes were recycled back then.  Old clothing turned into beautiful pieced quilts to keep us warm in the winter.  I have many such quilts, and they have far longer stood the test of time than any of the fashionable quilts or bedspreads that I've purchased since.  When we outgrew something that was still nice, it was passed along. If something was too old or stained, it went to a rag bag and was used in the shop, or for cleaning.  When my one Uncle passed on, I took all of his red, and green, ties and made them into a beautiful memory Christmas tree skirt.  Every year when I put it under the tree, I think of him, and remember him wearing these ties on Sunday and special occasions. A waste of time?  Maybe for some people, but for me, the memories of my Uncle and Christmas's past are worth it!

In this age, everybody wants everything new.  And...in their quest for everything new, they rack up huge bills.  Back then, we used to save for a purchase, and not demand instant gratification.  We looked forward to the day when we would have saved enough for that prize we so dearly wanted, and when we got it, we appreciated it even more because of the hard work and saving that went into getting it. If there's one thing I could wish for this era, and this country, it's that we could all learn to 'use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.'