In Germany they have this great habit—when they no longer need things, they put them on the pavement in front of their house or in designated spots in the city and put a sign next to them that says zu verschenken, which means "to give away". Sometimes it also says zum mitnehmen or nimm mit, which means "to take away". We can also see this practice starting to happen in Slovenia, but on a much smaller scale. Here, we tend to pile up larger unwanted items as part of bulk waste collections, at least in the cities. That's when people keen on upcycling and vintage finds eagerly dig through the heaps, hunting for hidden treasures like chairs that could be brought back to life. In smaller towns, there aren't even bulk waste collections. Most people take their unwanted items to recycling centres or local waste facilities themselves, or they use suitable pieces of furniture as firewood.
I used to live in Germany, in a city called Marburg. In the first few weeks, I noticed all the free stuff being given away. In most cases, these were objects that were still useful, but had served their purpose in someone's home. Sometimes it was toys and children’s books that the kids had outgrown, other books that were already read, as well as various home decorations, dishes, and kitchen gadgets. In Slovenia, there is still a stigma attached to "digging" through this type of waste. I think it's a great way to reuse things. With this practice, things get a new purpose—someone doesn't need something any more and someone else can use it.
Recently, reuse centres, swap shops, and second-hand stores have been developing in Slovenia as well. This also reduces the stigma hanging over these products. In other countries, reuse shops have been around for years, selling donated items to raise money for different projects. The money raised goes to organisations that help with things like healthcare, the environment, and supporting vulnerable people or the homeless. I also visited shops in Marburg that worked this way. One was run by the Red Cross, and the other by a local organisation that helped the homeless and people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
It's amazing when you're out for a walk and find a garlic press in perfect condition, something you were just thinking you needed. It's like finding treasure. I came to Marburg with a suitcase and public transport. Most of my trips from Marburg to Slovenia were also by public transport. I moved out the same way, so I couldn't take much with me, which meant this was perfect for me. The furniture in the flat was quite decent, but now and then, I found I was missing a few things. I was limited by the size of my suitcase, so I couldn't really splurge on decor or household items. I didn't want to take everything home, but it felt like a shame to leave anything behind. So I found something here, something there, I bought some dishes in reusable stores and I furnished my home quite nicely. I'm not a fan of buying cheap things that people usually get rid of after a short time, so I think the idea of swapping is brilliant.
I always liked having a look through the box to see what interesting things I might find. In the city, there were also these little shelves by some buildings where you could leave things you no longer needed. Some houses even had special areas where residents could leave items and clothes to swap with each other. I've done that a few times myself as well. Even if I didn't need anything, it was also interesting to just look through. It was even more fun when I'd think of something I needed, then keep an eye out for it, and often it would just turn up on its own. Even as a traveller, you can be positively surprised by the zu verschenken boxes. Maybe you can find a book for evening reading in the hostel, or some other useful item for your journey.
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