A thousand and one valuables

Idea description:

A large amount of various types of waste is brought to the city waste collection site by the inhabitants. Often, there are things which could be recycled and reused, such as furniture, glass, textiles, toys, etc.; some of them intact, or even in the original packaging. Many of these things could be recovered and used again in other households, if they were treated as valuable items. Instead, a lot of reusable material ends up in waste compactors or thrown away in garbage bins. This results in the loss of the value of the products and their reduction to raw material.

The highest degree of environmental protection is reusing discarded products. Creating a “1001 and one valuables” facility could be a way for the city to become active in environmental protection and decreasing the amount of the landfill and incinerated waste amounts. We propose to establish such a facility at the waste collection site. It would sell discarded or unwanted yet functional products.

The prices of individual items would be symbolic. The profit would be used for the maintenance of the facility and organizing further educational and promotional campaigns about responsible waste management. In fact, the level of public education and availability of information on the matter is low. The facility could become a launching point and a resource for the activities, thus influencing the entire society.