This introduction provides an overview of debates about second-hand cultures and economies of reuse, repair, sharing, and care. I provide historical notes about the emergence of modern notions and practices to do with waste, garbage, and reuse, and introduce the global scope and context of waste management, and practices of reuse, recycling, and repair. I review debates about maintenance, stewardship, sharing, and care; discuss exemplary case studies about sustainable practices like vegetable gardens or attempts at zero waste living; and explore the role and contributions of individuals in struggles for change. The example of garbage collectors in Cairo, Egypt, illustrates the global scope of reuse efforts and the vast contributions, but also considerable social costs of such efforts. The introduction includes an overview of exemplary second-hand and reuse projects and activities from across the globe and ends with a chapter overview of the volume.