For many years, we thought that recycling is the only solution to save our planet. We put things made of plastics like bottles in the recycle bin and thought that we did a great job to help our planet. decades. But here is a truth: only 9% of the total plastic get recycles the rest 91% get burned, buried in landfills where it stays for hundreds of years, or shipped overseas. Recycle we know is broken. Now, a smarter idea is taking over. It is called Circularity.

Circularity is simple: instead of just making, using and then putting in trash. we use “make, use, repair, resell, repeat.”, this is what circularity means.
In the system of circularity, nothing truly becomes waste. Your broken phone, your old solar panel, even your worn-out sneakers, they are not trash. They are future products waiting for a second life. Its like: if you have old laptop, you can fix it and sell it. And if you have dead phone battery, instead of throwing phone away, change the battery to reuse the phone, Thanks to new “Right to Repair” laws in the US, Europe, and the UK. Apple, samsung companies can no lock you out for fixing your own stuff. Before this law they refuse to sell spare part of your product. Now you can buy spare parts of your products, you can find repair guides, you can fix your laptop, phones and tablet by your own. This provide opportunity for regular people to save money, you start a side business of repairing broken items and selling them at profit. Join what expert call the internet of waste, a global online market place where we make, use, repair and repurposed good.

1. DIY Repair Guides for Modern Electronics (And the Tools You Need)

In the previous old way: when your laptop battery dies, you buy a new laptop of $1,200.

The current circularity way: You change the battery for $50 and your machine runs for more three years. You save your money.

Example Repair: Replacing a swollen battery in a 2022 MacBook Air (M2).

• Step 1: Search for a free guide on iFixit.
• Step 2: Buy a precision screwdriver kit, include a “P5 Pentalobe” bit.
• Step 3: Unplug the battery cable first to avoid sparks. Use a drop of isopropyl
  alcohol, rub it to loosen the sticky tape under the battery.
• Step 4: Slide the new battery in, reconnect, and close it up and you are done.

Where to make money: You don’t need to make a repair shop for this. Start providing your services on Facebook Marketplace or Next door. Charge $40–$60 for a battery swap or repairing any other spare part. Buy a $30 iFixit tool kit and keep it in your car. Every time a friend or someone ask you for repairing their phone screen or something else, you can fix. You can earn cash and keep electronics out of landfills to help the planet.

2. The “Internet of Waste” Marketplaces

This means that there are a lot of online places where you can sell your useless things or trash. But it can be someone else treasure. Ebay, craigslist, facebook, or special sites are used for this. You can sell your broken phone, laptop and their batteries, old solar panels, even your worn sneakers

Where to sell old solar panels (40–80% efficiency left):

Santan Solar (US): They buy used old panels in large amount.

Facebook groups like “Solar Recyclers Hub”: DIY off-gridders want cheap panels for sheds and RVs. They will pay you $30–$50 of the panel you were going to throwaway.

Where to sell used EV batteries (from Nissan Leaf, Tesla, etc.): Even after batteries die, it still have 70–80% capacity left. They are perfect for home power storage. List them on:

• Battery Hookup (online marketplace)
• Craigslist / eBay Motors: Search “used EV battery for solar storage.”
•  Reddit r/diySolar: Post your battery specs and watch offers come in.

3. Circular Fashion Brands (No More Fast Fashion)

Fashion is a waste disaster. The average American throws away massive amount of clothes every year. Circular fashion mean you can repair or remake the old clothes and you can wear them or sell them. It is better than any cheap fashion that changes every year.

Brands doing it right:

• Patagonia: They will repair your clothes for free or with very small fee. They sell
  used gear on their own website.
• The North Face (Renewed): they sells new jackets that are cleaned and certified.
• For shoes: SOLE and Rothy’s take back old shoes and turn the minto new soles or bags.

How you can participate:

• You can fix your ripped jeans instead of throwing it away. You can give it to tailor
  to fix it or you can stitch by your own by learning stitching from youtube
  tutorials.
• Sell your nicest clothes instead of wasting it or throwing. It will save your money and planet
• Sponsor a clothing swap with friends. No money needed, just pizza and hangers.

Monetization: How to Make Money From This

You don’t need to establish a factory for this. You don’t need a degree for this. Here are three easy ways to turn circularity into cash:
Tool Kit Affiliates (like iFixit or FixM)

Write a blog post or make instagram or tiktok reels, and tell people that you fix your
phone with this $25 kit. Add your affiliate link. After very sale you will earns you10–20% commision.

Lead Generation for Recycling Centers

Many small recycling centers don’t know how to find used stuff like solar panels or
EV batteries. You can build a simple Google Form or Craigslist ad: “Sell your old panel
here.” Then Forward those old stuff to a recycling center for a $10–$20 fee per
match.

Sustainable Brand Sponsorships 

Once you have 1,000 followers on Instagram or YouTube after reviewing repair tools
or telling about circular fashion. Email brands like Patagonia, iFixit, or Fair phone will
pay you for advertising their products and to say, “Buy this jacket, it lasts 10 years.”