"Between old sofas and broken fridges, boxes of baby clothes and crates of cassettes, hidden treasures dot Berlin's streets. In one such collection of unwanted stuff, Berlin musician Eno Thiemann discovered a new favorite author. The Haruki Murakami books were left outside with the label "zu verschenken." Meaning "to gift", it's a tradition that has long seen Berliners leave their repurposable goods on window ledges and in front of houses for others to take. And take, they do. Often within a matter of minutes."
"The city's environment department argues that while the idea behind leaving things out for others to take is "good and desirable," it has "led to excesses that are not in line with the original intention." And cleaning up is not cheap last year it cost the city about 10.3 million ($12.8 million) to remove rubbish, including e-waste and construction trash dumped without authorization."
Berlin has a long-standing culture of leaving unwanted but usable items on streets labelled "zu verschenken" for others to take. Residents repurpose clothes, books and furniture left on window ledges or outside houses, often disappearing within minutes. The practice supports an informal circular economy and enriches neighbourhoods. City officials plan to fine people who leave items on streets, citing excesses and unauthorized dumping of e-waste and construction waste. Last year cleanup of dumped rubbish cost about 10.3 million euros. The environment department emphasizes that leaving items does not release owners from responsibility. The planned fines risk ending the tradition.
Read at www.dw.com
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