“Stooping”成新潮流？网友：我在城市捡垃圾

As night falls on the streets of Shanghai, Mikiko Chen can often be found prowling through the winding alleyways of the city hunting for discarded items.

"I pick up all sorts of things, chairs, wine boxes, wardrobes, bowls and cups … it's like treasure hunting for me," she says.

The 27-year-old digital marketer is among the first adopters of "stooping" in China, a practice that refers to picking up discarded furniture and other goods on the streets for re-use. 

She says the concept was inspired by New Yorkers who often leave unwanted things on the "stoops" — or doorsteps — leading up to the entrances of buildings.

"The core concept of stooping for me is to make the best use of things," Ms Chen says. "It can help you to save money, but it's not just about lowering consumption."

"It's wasteful to throw away something that's still usable, it's better to share it with others who need it."

Ms Chen says she was among the first to use the hashtag #stooping on China's Twitter-like social media platform Xiaohongshu.

"I initially started with posting items people had in their homes that they no longer used and wanted to throw away or exchange … gradually I'm receiving hundreds of messages each day," she says.

Since then, the trend has become increasingly popular.

Ms Chen says she is "very surprised" the concept has become a hit on social media, as older generations often stigmatize picking up things from the street or using second-hand goods.

"People like my mum consider [stooping] as 'rubbish picking' and 'scavenging'," she says.

"She thinks that people will look down on you for doing this."

People born in the 1990s and after are the main group behind the surge in second-hand consumption, according to research firm QuestMobile. 

For Nan Zheng, a 35-year-old Shanghai-based environmentalist and entrepreneur, stooping is more than the physical act of picking up things from the streets.

Mr Nan created an app called "Grecycle" where people can give away or take unwanted items for free.

南征表示，“我认为我们可以让更多的人知道stooping是一种有趣的行为。而接下来，我们还能逐渐让人们意识到，这也可以是行善和帮助他人。”

"I think we can let more people know about the concept of stooping as an interesting and fun thing to do," Mr Nan says.

"But then, gradually we can let people know this can also be about charity and helping others."