Borrow things is one of the most important basic rules to be followed in the sense of the Zero Waste Lifestyle produce less waste. This is because we often buy things that we only need for a short time and that then disappear into our drawers and cupboards. Borrowing costs significantly less and protects the environment from further packaging waste. Today I want to show you why borrowing things is more than just a trend and where you can borrow all sorts of things these days. Let's go!
What does borrowing have to do with Zero Waste?
Why buy a new drill if I only need it for 10 minutes? And why should I buy a longboard if I don't even know if I'll enjoy riding it? Renting instead of owning has been all the rage for a few years now. This is because renting has decisive advantages over buying a product. Here is an overview of the advantages of renting:
- More money in your walletas borrowing is cheaper than buying
- No unnecessary packaging waste, since they are already used, unpacked things
- More space in the apartmentas you return the borrowed items when you no longer need them
- Just test thingsbefore you spend a lot of money on it and are disappointed afterwards
- Meet cool new people, because usually you borrow things from private suppliers
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There are certainly many more advantages to borrowing, but these are definitely the most important ones for me and also the main reasons why borrowing instead of buying is more than just a trend. The environmental aspect in particular is playing an increasingly important role. Because by borrowing you can Avoid plastic waste and also avoid waste of any other kind. Both packaging waste and waste from the item itself. A win-win for everyone.
What things to borrow?
Now the question is, of course, what can you actually borrow? In principle, there are no limits. Depending on your personal wishes and what is available at the time you need it, you can borrow anything. Here are a few examples to give you a feel for what you can borrow:
- Plastic free toys for children borrow - This makes a lot of sense, as children's toys are only needed for a limited time and then eventually disappear into drawers and boxes. The toys should also be plastic-free, as Plasticizers in toys are dangerous and can interfere with child development.
- Borrow cars - Yes, you heard right. It's been around for a while and is called car sharing. It works particularly well in large cities. As you don't really need your own car in a city like Berlin due to the good connections, you can simply borrow a car if necessary. (e.g. for an upcoming move within the city)
- Borrow tools - This makes a lot of sense and may also bring the neighborhood together. A drill has an average service life of 13 minutes. After that, it will disappear into the cupboard for months or years. That's why you can simply borrow the drill and many other tools.
- Borrow books - Do we always have to buy new books? After all, they just sit on the shelf after being read. That's why you can simply borrow books and return them when you've finished reading them.
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These are a few everyday examples of things that you may only need for a short time. Here too, the list could be endless.
Where can I borrow things?
Now the big question is where I can actually borrow things. In principle, this is very easy, as the options are now very diverse, both offline and online. Here are some examples of places where you can borrow things:
- At Online lending exchangesthe choice is huge and not just limited to a small district. You can find things really well at leihdirwas.de or also next door.com borrow
- Local pawn stores There are more and more of them, especially in the big cities. There is nothing to buy, only to borrow and the principle is simple - you hand in an item to lend and can borrow another item in return.
- eBay Classifieds has a separate category for things you can borrow. Click here to go to eBay's rental service
- Lending apps offer the opportunity to borrow things quickly from your smartphone. One app that works well for this is, for example Peerbywhich you can get from both the AppStore and Google Play.
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I know that there are some start-ups from the sharing economy that work in the area of renting instead of owning, but of course I only want to list the providers here that are already working really well. I think you already have a good selection with the contact points mentioned 🙂
Borrowing things is so easy, isn't it?
Borrowing things is super simple and really makes sense in every respect. For the lender, the platforms, the borrower and, of course, for the environment.
Do you have any other suggestions for borrowing things? What have you had good experiences with? Feel free to leave me a comment below.
Stay clean,
PS: Borrowing is just one of many basic rules of the Zero Waste lifestyle. Learn here in the Plastic free blog for example, also how the Reject things or the Reuse you can save a lot of waste.
