In the Netherlands, ‘garbage bag’ encourages reuse of contents

The Goedzak is a transparent bag for unwanted goods that allows passersby to see inside and decide if they could make use of them.

The Swap-o-Matic vending machine has already provided one way to pass on unused items to others, rather than sending them to landfill. Another solution from the Netherlands comes in the form of the Goedzak – a transparent ‘garbage bag’ for unwanted goods that allows passersby to see inside and decide if they could make use of them. Created by Waarmakers, the thinking behind the bags – which are see-through aside from the Goedzak logo — is that they are placed on the sidewalk along with other black bags containing trash. The contents are visible to those passing by, yet stay dry and clean. The Goedzak logo indicates to walkers that the goods inside are available to pick up. If no-one takes advantage of the freebies, the sack is collected by garbage trucks along with the rest of the trash. The Goedzaks help homeowners act more sustainably when throwing out perfectly usable property with minimum effort. Could this kind of scheme work in your neighborhood?