Living with rubbish
on Thea's Blog (Uganda), 16/Jul/2009 07:11, 34 days ago
Normal0falsefalsefalseMicrosoftInternetExplorer4st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}Rubbish is a problem I have up until now been safely, comfortably cushioned from. Back home I might heave my black bags downstairs to the council bin, and maybe go as far as to take my tins to the recycling bank, but after that the problem is conveniently, cleanly removed from my hands and my conscience. Here inUgandayou must confront your own refuse yourself, alone, daily. You basically have to learn to live with it– literally - because the only way to get rid of it is either to burn it or to bury it in your garden. ‘My boys’ as I have grown to refer to them (not so much from affection as from a lack of any other suitable moniker) have dug this massive pit by the boundary of the grounds in to which theythrow my plastic bags full of tins, plastic bottles and ladies’ hygiene materials. I guess this is really no different from what happens in theUK, except there landfill is out of sight and out of mind, and not thinly concealed by the rose bushes behind the shed. Living at such close quarters to my own detritus has introduced all sorts of nagging worries– what if I contaminate the soil? What if some noxious chemical from the plastic seeps in to the water supply? What if one of those beautiful electric blue kingfishers chokes on a ringpull? I’d like to say that this unfamiliar problem has made me more careful about what I buy and how much rubbish I produce, but I’m afraid I’d be telling a lie as I am merrily consuming several tins of tuna fish, tomatoes and coconut milk, not to mention huge quantities of bottled water each week.Work is busy busy, but I’m starting to settle in to the swing of things. Yesterday Vickie and I gave a presentation to the Kabarole Rotary Club at the Toro Club which, judging from the darts score board going back several generations and the golf course, has to be the last remaining building of the British encampment ofthe Protectorate days. We addressed a room full of local businessmen, hotel owners, and a Scottish lecturer from the Mountains of theMoonUniversity. I have to admit, nobody came running up to offer us large sums of money, however I hope we at least planted one or two seeds that might later germinate. It was quite interesting to watch the Masonic-like traditions of the Rotary Club being acted out. It’s the first meeting I’ve attended so far inUgandathat not only started but also finished on time.