1 Feb 2020

Adam Minter on the global economy of secondhand goods

From Saturday Morning, 9:05 am on 1 February 2020

Op-shops and second hand shops are full to bursting, thanks to a rising cultural obsession with decluttering and minimalism. So what happens to objects that longer spark joy? Where do they actually end up once we Kondo them out of our lives?   

Adam Minter is a journalist based in Malaysia who's an expert on the global market for rubbish and recycling. He's well qualified, having grown up in a junkyard in Minnesota.

His first book Junkyard Planet (2014) examined the US$500 million global waste industry. Now new book Secondhand looks at the economy of reuse, from op shops to vintage clothing.

Adam Minter / cover of his book "Secondhand"

Adam Minter / cover of his book "Secondhand" Photo: supplied / Christine and Steve Tan / Bloomsbury