Interview: Household Experiences of Reuse and Repair in Kerava

What are the main challenges households in Kerava face when trying to adopt more reuse, repair, and refurbishment practices in their daily lives?
We think that with Kerava households the main challenges are: busy lifestyle (lack of time and energy to adopt new, more circular habits), lack of areas where everyday household and materials circulation solutions would be made easy, high cost of repair and refurbishment services due to the 25,5 % tax as well as a need for personal consulting, motivating and community for households to start changing habits towards a more circular lifestyle.

What kinds of support, resources, or services do households need most to make circular practices part of their everyday routines?
On addition to a cultural change towards slower lifestyles, it is needed to get points where everyday household items and materials circulation solutions are under one roof, lower cost of repair and refurbishment services and access to personal advice and/or motivation from a community or a professional to help the household on the practical things.

Based on your experience, what are the key factors that municipalities should consider when developing initiatives that promote household circularity?
Participation of different types of households in the preparations process and making decisions that genuinely come from the household’s needs. Communicating via website is not enough. Multiple ways are needed: raising awareness, then test groups and activating larger amounts of municipality households into challenges. Rewarding for the efforts works too.

I feel it is not a new practice but a renewed one as I grow older and see all the material that is produced. I don’t have the skills from my ancestors but I am practicing while trying to take better care of things already around me. Parenting has increased the need for things and also increased my interest in second hand shopping.

I really enjoy searching for and finding thoughtful presents second hand or self made. I have gifted curated collections of library books and films and crafted toys and clothes from repurposed materials. It makes me happy when something is designed to be prepared or upcycled.

Lately I’ve tried to refrain from shopping even second hand as I feel I should limit things I own to those I can take care of.

There is sometimes inertia in my need for something and available options, e.g. it is made easiest to buy new things and doing things otherwise requires more time, effort or flexibility. Not having a car makes furniture shopping second hand an adventure. Wanting to support local produce may require committing to a specific time and location to collect it. Repairability is low on most appliances and electronics. Repairing clothing requires skill and patience. What makes it easier is systemic support, availability of options and community and not being under a lot of pressure to fix some immediate problem (like needing the right size rainwear for my kid for tomorrow).