Page 10 - Economy_Sustainable Global Economy

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Different platforms for recycling:

Websites: Ebay and Amazon are one of the most popular and well-known websites for
consumer-to-consumer or business-to-consumer networks and sell almost everything. For supporters of
local business, Etsy is a website that sells hand-crafted and unique items made by consumers for
consumers.

Applications: Applications such as Letgo and OfferUp are consumer-to-consumer platforms that allow you
to buy and pick in convenient locations such as a seller in your own neighborhood. Mercari is an
application that is shipping only and provides extra protection to the buyer of the product.

Clothes: There are multiple clothing stores that offer discounts on purchases for donating clothes such as
Levi’s, H & M, Madewell, and Kiehls. Stores such as Plato’s Closet offers to buy used current clothes for
cheap prices for affordable prices. Websites such as ThredUP and Poshmark give you an online platform to
sell used, name-brand clothes at affordable prices.

Glass Bottles, Aluminum Cans, Paper/Cardboard: There are many centers that buy recyclables for five to

Communities that are waste-free:

Kamikatsu, Japan: In 2003, the small town of Kamikatsu, Japan saw the damages that greenhouse gases
and toxins were causing their food supply from the waste incinerators. So they embarked on a strict
zero-waste system that has recycled, reused, or composted around 80 % of their waste, with the rest going
to landfills. Residents are very involved in the process, organizing their trash into 34 categories. The
program has saved the village a third of its former costs from waste incineration.

Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany: After 30 years of refining the waste management system, the
town Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, recycles 70 % of it garbage. With a population of approximately 50,000
people, the town uses financial incentive and education to influence their society. Recycled waste is free
of charge, while non-recyclable waste has a charge related to varying sizes of the bins. A 60 litre bin is 6.60
euros in collection fees. A 240 litre bin ranges from 24 euros to 48 euros depending on pick up date. The
recycling is sorted into paper/cardboards, glass, and plastics/foils/cans/styrofoam.

The rest, such as batteries, toys, timber, tin, etc., are transported to the recycling depot. Organizing waste
provides savings from as much as 270 euros to 17 euros. Germany, in general, has stopped using landfills
since 2005.