Redonate It: The Hidden Potosí in Our Homes

In human history, few mines have had as significant an impact as the Cerro Rico de Potosí in Bolivia. For centuries, this site produced over 45,000 tons of silver, with a current estimated value exceeding €42.9 billion. But Potosí is more than a mine; it is a metaphor. Today, that "Potosí" can be found in our own homes—not in the form of buried silver but as unused goods with the potential to transform lives, protect the planet, and generate positive impact.

The Potosí in Our Homes According to a recent eBay study, the average household in Spain accumulates €4,000 worth of unused items. Across 20 million Spanish households, this equates to a hidden "Potosí" valued at approximately €80 billion. Clothes, furniture, bicycles, appliances, and books occupy space and resources without being used. While this article is focused on Spain, the concept is extrapolable to many OECD countries, where similar consumption patterns and household behaviors result in significant amounts of unused goods. This untapped wealth doesn’t require machinery to be extracted—it requires awareness, solidarity, and action.

Social Mining: Extracting Value from the Unused Imagine transforming this Potosí into a social movement. Instead of letting these items gather dust, we can give them a second life through platforms like Wallapop, Vinted, or Milanuncios. The goal? To circulate what we no longer use and generate resources to support social and environmental causes.

Redonate It: Sell, Donate, and Multiply Impact The Redonate It model is simple yet transformative:

1. Identify what you don’t use: Go through your home and select items in good condition that can be reused.
2. Sell and donate: Sell these items through digital platforms and allocate the proceeds to social causes that inspire you, such as childhood vaccination, climate change action, or medical research.
3. Take advantage of tax deductions: In Spain, donations to registered charities allow you to deduct up to 80% on the first €150 donated, and 35%-40% on higher amounts. If you are in a challenging financial situation, you can retain this tax benefit to ease your finances while still contributing to change.

Why Is Redonate It Beneficial for Everyone?

• For you: Decluttering your home frees up physical and mental space, and you feel the satisfaction of contributing to something bigger.
• For social causes: The resources generated can fund projects that transform lives. For example, the value of a sold bicycle could fund childhood vaccinations, and a reused television could support medical research.
• For the planet: Every reused item saves natural resources. Reusing a mountain bike, for example, avoids 165 kg of CO2 emissions and saves 3,000 liters of water. Multiply this by millions of households, and the impact becomes monumental.

A Sustainable and Solidarity-Driven Model Redonate It is not just a form of volunteering from home; it’s a holistic model that connects personal order with global impact. With digital platforms as allies and the power of tax deductions, we can turn forgotten goods into opportunities for those who need them most. Additionally, it allows individuals in difficult economic situations to contribute without compromising their stability by retaining the tax benefit when necessary.

Conclusion The Potosí is no longer in the mountains; it’s in our homes. Redonate It is the opportunity to turn unused goods into resources that create social and environmental impact. It’s good for you because you organize your home. It’s good for social causes because you fund projects that change lives. And it’s good for the planet because you reduce waste, avoid CO2 emissions, and save resources. Declutter and Redonate. Change starts at home. Redonate It.