Berlin Now Has a City-Run Recycling Department Store
The secondhand shop is a new spin on the city’s efforts to make re-use and repair a way of life.
Berlin’s new secondhand store sells many items that might not normally make their way into stores, including from the city’s own recycling system.
Photographer: Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images
In a bid to dramatically reduce waste, the Berlin government launched a facility in September that could be the first of its kind: a state-run department store that both sells items that might otherwise get thrown away and acts as an education center encouraging repair and reuse.
Called B-Wa(h)renhaus (an untranslatable pun meaning both department store and “conserving house”), the store covers over 7,000 square feet and sells used and upcycled clothing, furniture, phones and other electronics. In an attempt to reach beyond the usual people who already patronize secondhand shops, the store’s location is also significant: It’s not in an especially hip location, or a flea market known for knock-down prices, but within one of Berlin’s most established, middle-of-the-road department stores.