Reduce! Buy less! Almost every product you buy has some sort of environmental impact, so try just having less ! Especially try to buy less of the sorts of products which you buy and then throw away quickly. When giving gifts, instead of buying something new, consider making something out of natural or second hand materials, or giving your time instead – time to listen to, talk to and play with others. When spending money, consider paying for education and personal development services and low-environmental-impact experiences instead of buying a new physical product.
Buy and sell second hand and free-cycle! There are some facebook groups where people buy and sell second hand goods in Dar. The Recycle / Freecycle Dar es Salaam facebook group is for people to give away and get second hand items for free. You can also buy second hand clothes and goods in markets (eg clothes, bicycles). If you no longer need something, try to sell it or pass it on to someone who will use it.
Buy local! This applies to products as well as to food. The less fossil-fueled transport involved, the better. This especially applies to goods you buy regularly.
Avoid single-use products!
- Batteries have polluting chemicals in them – use durable re-chargeable high quality batteries, not single-use or cheap ones.
- Parents of babies can use reusable cloth nappies /diapers – even if you hire someone to hand-wash them, you will save money overall! You can order handmade cloth nappies from “Thamani – Value not Waste” (0757618419) women’s group in Njombe, from Jollie Reusable nappies or buy them in Kariakoo or in “Usiende Kariakoo” shop near Kawawa Road.
- Menstruators can consider cloth menstrual pads or menstrual cups instead of disposable pads. Very comfortable, and also saves you money! Available brands are Jollie Reusable pads, AFRIpads (Tanzania agent 0767251111), the Hedhi Cup (available from major pharmacies – for full list contact Anuflo Industries) and Lunette Cup (available at The Pharmacy, Shoppers Plaza, Masaki).
- For shaving, you can get a metal “safety razor” in Kariakoo, and replace only the blades, not the whole razor, when it is blunt. This also saves money relative to plastic disposable razors! Replacement blades for safety razors are widely available in Dar.
Minimise packaging – especially avoid plastic packaging for products you buy on a regular basis. You can replace shower gel and plastic containers of dish-washing soap with soap bars. If you are buying a product like shampoo in plastic, consider buying it in a large 5 litre container (as are used in hair salons) and then pouring into your smaller containers as needed.
Materials – Consider what the product is made of and what energy was used to produce it? Buy products made of natural materials if possible, instead of plastic, especially if the product is for short term use. Some metal, ceramic and glass products require a lot of energy to produce, so these should be for products which you will use for a long time.
- For sponges for washing your body or for cleaning dishes, consider a natural biodegradable sponge such as loofah (“dodoki”) which is available on the streets of Dar and comes from trees.
Durability and repair-ability – Try to go for products which are durable, easy to repair if they break, and will last you a long time. When it breaks, repair it! There are lots of fundis in Dar, for everything from clothes, to shoes, to bicycles, to furniture, to electronics. There are some great repair shops in the city centre, such as Bombay Walla which repairs all kitchen appliances. Metal and wood products have the advantage of repair-ability in Dar es Salaam, with plenty of welders and carpenters.
Energy use – There is a special section in this guide on energy use, so consider this when buying electrical appliances.
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Kijanisha Dar ! - Dar Green Guide 