Rent, share or borrow
We’ve gone with rent as the headline for the RE effect, but let’s talk borrowing and sharing too.
Let’s be honest: you probably don’t need to own a carpet cleaner, a chocolate fountain, or a circular saw when you only need to use them once, maybe twice.
That’s where renting, borrowing, and sharing come in. It’s the cleverer, cleaner, and far more space-efficient way to get what you need without the cost, the clutter, or the environmental footprint.
Ownership is overrated
The average power drill is used for only 13 minutes in its lifetime! It’s kind of ridiculous, right? What you need is the hole, not the drill.
We can all apply this thinking to loads of items:
- trestle table for a garage sale
- tent for that annual (maybe) camping trip
- high-chair or car seat for visiting toddlers
- costume you’ll only wear once
- pressure cleaner.
Instead of spending big on something you’ll use once, explore your community’s alternatives.
Rent
You can rent just about anything these days - but the exciting part is that there are now many online platforms making it easy for you to rent out your own stuff to earn a few dollars on the side.
Borrow
We’re so lucky to now be able to borrow so much more than books. Some ‘libraries’ follow the familiar systems of register-borrow-return: tool libraries, Australian Library of Things, kitchen libraries, toy libraries and the Party Kit Network.
Others are more relaxed honesty systems where you may add an item to the collection one day and take several another day: street libraries, jar libraries, seed and plant libraries, beach toy libraries.
Swaps
There’s a swap culture emerging – for more than Pokemon cards! Clothes swaps are a great way to update your wardrobe with no environmental impact. Book and toy swap events are popping up across Sydney, and even the occasional art swap event.
The REcheck advantage
REcheck helps you discover places where you can:
- donate your items to a library to maximise its reuse potential
- rent/borrow from next time you need an item that you know you don’t need to own
- list items to share in your community
- rent out your own stuff and earn a little cash on the side.
When you are searching the takers on REcheck, you can filter by your search by selecting the 'Earn money' filter. This will show you places where you can earn by renting out your things (think appliances, formal wear, party gear, sports equipment, you name it).
And if you’ve got something you rarely use? Donate it to a sharing initiative and borrow it back when you need it. You reclaim the space, and your community gets more access. Win-win!
Sharing is a superpower
Sharing isn’t just kind. It’s powerful. It reduces waste, emissions, and overconsumption. It helps people save, connect, and build stronger, more resilient communities.
So next time you need something, do a REcheck. It might be right around the corner.
Explore the next rung on the hierarchy:
