Mishima City has become the number one city in Japan in four categories, including the number of items sold, by using Mercari as a way to reduce the amount of bulky waste. The items on offer are furniture, baby strollers, etc. brought in by citizens, and they are sold at low prices for items in good condition. There are also items that sell for unexpectedly high prices, such as mortars, kines, and woodwork. However, the actual amount sold was only about 10 tons, and the city says that “it is of great significance in changing people’s awareness of waste”.
【Source】
This article is a brief summary and overview of the article from Yomiuri Shimbun Online (https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20250128-OYT1T50055/). The following is a summary and commentary, with reference to the source.
What kind of place is Mishima City?
It is a city in Shizuoka Prefecture with a population of around 100,000, and it is also known as a tourist destination with clean water. Mishima City thought that some of the bulky waste might still be usable, so they put it up for sale on Mercari. The city staff washed and photographed the items, and sold them at low prices. As a result, they became number one in the country in terms of the number of items sold and the number of followers.
Is 10 tons of waste a lot?
Mishima City collects around 30,000 tons of waste a year, so the 10 tons sold on Mercari is just a small fraction of the total. Nevertheless, it has attracted a lot of attention as an attempt to turn waste into treasure. If this kind of initiative spreads, it could provide an opportunity for other local governments and people to think, “Before throwing away something you’re not using anymore, it might be useful to someone else.”
