Every day, several large trucks full of discarded goods arrive at a warehouse in the eastern suburbs of Hamburg, Germany, before being sorted through and categorized by a team of workers.

But this is not a normal waste processing facility. Stilbruch (German for “stylish inconsistency”) is run by the city’s sanitation department. Instead of destroying or disposing of these throwaways, the municipal team checks and, if necessary, repairs them, before putting them on sale to the public. It touts itself as “for everyone who prefers used to new—used is the new sexy.”

Stilbruch is the “IKEA of used goods.” Some 400,000 objects are processed through two giant cavernous warehouses every year; everything from well-worn teddy bears to refurbished laptops and kitchen counters. Stilbruch contracts technicians and craftsmen who ensure that all used furniture is given a thorough beautification, and all electronics can be sold with a 1-year warranty.

Launched in 2001, Stilbruch has gone from having one full-time employee to 70, and from being a non-profit orientation to bringing in $330,000 to $550,000 per year in profit. Roman Hottgenroth, operations manager said, “These things are useful. They really aren’t rubbish. We are trying to stop throwaway culture and wastefulness. There’s so much value in what we treat like trash.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

In God’s ecosystem, the people the world considers broken and useless are reclaimed and restored by God. The filthy is made clean (Isa. 1:18), and the worn out becomes new (2 Cor. 5:17).