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Don't bin it, fix it

August 11, 2016

We produce huge amounts of electronic waste each year. But repair cafes sprouting up around the world are trying to convince consumers to fix rather than dump products. We visit one cafe in the German capital, Berlin.

https://p.dw.com/p/1JfrA
Symbolbild Repair Cafe Schallplattenspieler
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Bringing broken items back to life

The latest Eco@Africa episode checks out a repair cafe in Berlin. There volunteer experts help Berliners repair everything from electrical devices and bikes to clothes. Their motto: don't bin it, fix it!

We also delve into one young scientist's mission to fight food insecurity in Africa. The Nairobi-based researcher is investigating plant species packed with nutrition, like South American superfood quinoa, in a bid to help African farmers grow them.

We take a trip to South Africa for two stories. There a citrus-juice producer has switched from polluting coal to using waste sawdust from a nearby lumber mill to power his operations. By doing so, the company has significantly reduced its CO2 emissions. On the outskirts of Johannesburg, one woman is dealing with a different kind of waste - household trash. Queen Elizabeth Mpashe started a waste management business following eight years without a job. Now she's the queen of recycling.

Deutschland Frankfurt (Oder) Honigbiene an Sonnenblume
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul

Staying in Africa, we move to Malawi where a women's cooperative is earning cash and doing their bit for the environment with sweet-smelling treats. The women make essential oils and soaps from a local plant and have recently broken into the UK market. Then we return to the German capital where one man is trying to save Berlin's under threat wild bee populations.