Plastic bottles

When we attended our pre-departure training with VSO in Birmingham, I remember the topic of waste disposal coming up, and not really paying it much attention. I imagined in a country with limited access to resources that waste disposal would be inherently and naturally kept to a minimum, and I try to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ as much as possible anyway, so for me nothing would change there...or so I thought. In addition, on our (huge!) list of items we were advised to take a durable drinking bottle (for refilling with water regularly I imagined). Thanks Mum for buying me one ;-)

So it came somewhat as a shock to see the multitude of plastic that covers the ground not just in the big city of Dar but in the middle of nowhere; that plastic bags are used so flippantly (is that the right word?) when buying goods at the market or in the shops. I seem to be unusual in that I take my rucksack or canvas bags with me and ask the shopkeepers or stallholders to fill those, rather than using another plastic bag. Sometimes it can’t be helped, or I’m caught out with more shopping than I brought bags for (I should acknowledge this point more carefully....!) but at least I try to keep it to a minimum. Unfortunately plastic water bottles are just as prolific, and I realise I’m also to blame as I drink mineral water and it’s not always practical to refill from the larger, 6 litre bottles we have at home. We have a water filter but it makes the water taste funny, so I suppose I’m adding to the problem by still drinking mineral water, even if I’m ‘reducing’ by taking it from one larger bottle rather than 12 small ones. (Will the filtered water taste better after the filter has had more use?) 

We are storing our bottles though after reusing them several times, and try to recycle them into other things. Encouragingly, also, I heard from friends who are now travelling across Tanzania at the end of their placement that when they are on a bus which passes through a village, it is helpful to throw out your empty bottles as they can be utilised by the villagers who otherwise have no access to things like plastic bottles, as there are no shops. (This WAS said by the fellow passengers on the bus! Best to ask their advice as to when is the most appropriate time to throw the bottle should you be thinking about visiting and doing the same...) But I do love the spark of creativity that comes from having less than I’m used to – we keep ALL of our containers now, in case they can be utilised for something. It’s not so easy just to buy what you need, like back home, and I think that’s a good thing. It makes me re-evaluate what my needs are, and it's good to know they are changing all the time as I adapt to the new environment.

We have used bottles for a table decoration; kitchen sponge holder, and for washing-up powder now in diluted ‘ready-to-use’ form (thanks Juanito and Bart):

I have also seen bottles recycled as shampoo and soap holders in the bathroom, tied to the shower with string, and larger bottles used simply as containers, with the top third cut off (thanks Lou!). I am hoping to do a similar thing and use our large water bottles as plant pots, should I get some ficus plants one day... ideas for more uses of plastic bottles welcomed! Photos especially if you can!