Reuse is alive and well in most developing countries,
but it has a downside. The poor who scavenge
in open dumps (Figure 1-6, p. 11) for food scraps and
items they can reuse or sell are often exposed to toxins
and infectious diseases.
Traditional forms of reuse include salvaging automobile
parts from older cars in junkyards and recovering
materials from old houses and buildings. By 2015,
the European Union will require that 95% of any discarded
car must be reused or recycled. Other reuse
strategies involve yard sales, flea markets, second hand
stores, traditional and online auctions, classified newspaper
ads, and online sites such as e-Bay and Craigslist.
An international website at www.freecycle.org links
people who want to give away household belongings
free to people in their area who want or need them.