Environmentally friendly collection houses make giving new life to old items more convenient than ever before.
Good quality items often end up in the trash because new things keep coming in. This is a serious problem: firstly, producing new equivalent items requires enormous resources, and secondly, there is already too much waste. However, items in good condition can serve the next user, for whom the item doesn’t have to be brand new.
Often people don’t know what to do with things they no longer need, or there is no suitable and functioning solution in their area. Fortunately, awareness is growing, and more and more people want to act in an environmentally sustainable way. However, the opportunity to contribute to sustainable lifestyles should be equally convenient for everyone.
To this end, Uuskasutuskeskus and Astri Group decided to launch a joint project, under which the first four collection houses were placed in the parking lots of Astri Group’s shopping centers and markets in Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, and Pärnu.
The idea behind the collection houses is that when you come to the shopping center for your daily errands, you can conveniently bring along things you no longer need at home, but which are still in good enough condition to be reused. Thus, this is a project from which everyone benefits.
To create an environmentally friendly and innovative collection house that fits nicely into the urban space, Astri Group and Uuskasutuskeskus held an architectural competition at the end of 2019. The winner was architect Kristian Taaksalu’s work “Nööp” (“Button”). The decisive factors were its unique design and functionality. One important criterion was the easy installation of the houses. The jury also noted that the winning design stood out with its distinctive style and could be easily adapted to different environments.
The collection house has a floor area of 29.4 m² and a height of 2.46 m. It is built with an environmentally friendly wooden structure and requires only electricity to operate, which is supplied by solar panels and an air source heat pump. The Environmental Investment Centre also believes in the idea of the collection house and supports the establishment of the first four collection houses.
What can you bring to the collection house?
You can bring any items that are in good condition, clean, and intact. On weekdays, the collection house operates as a self-service point, where you can drop off clothes, shoes, toys, books, sports and hobby equipment, home textiles, and other products that won’t break when dropped through the hatch.
On weekends, an assistant works at the collection house and also accepts fragile items, such as dishes and small household appliances, as well as larger donations that do not fit through the hatch.
Unlike collection containers on the streets, you can bring absolutely any items in good, clean, and working condition to the collection house. Uuskasutuskeskus also gladly accepts out-of-season goods, such as winter sports equipment in summer and swimwear in winter.
For safety reasons, you cannot bring child safety seats or carriers, CRT TVs, gas stoves, or broken items to the collection house. Uuskasutuskeskus does not have the capacity to repair items, and a broken item could pose a risk to the next user. Since the size of the collection house sets certain limits, furniture is not accepted, but in Tartu and nearby areas you can call on the Uuskasutuskeskus van by sending a photo of the item and your contact information to kaubik@uuskasutus.ee.
The assistant working at the collection house on weekends will also explain to visitors on site what items can be brought to the collection house and which should be taken to a waste station. The lack of such information often leads to situations where good items end up in landfill and broken ones are brought to collection points.
What happens to the collected items?
Uuskasutuskeskus sorts all donated items and then directs those in good condition back into circulation. Some items are sold, while others reach people in need through partners. By selling donations, Uuskasutuskeskus, as a self-sustaining non-profit organization, covers the operating costs of its stores and expansion across Estonia.
Uuskasutuskeskus supports large families, homeless people, women’s shelters, animal shelters, as well as student companies, art students, and artisans with materials and other necessary items. In addition, Uuskasutuskeskus works closely with theaters and filmmakers, lending items for use over a certain period. Thus, a donated item may even appear on television, for example, in the series “Lahutus Eesti moodi”, “Pilvede all”, and “Tulejoonel”.
Why donate?
- By donating an item that has been unused at home for a long time, you prevent it from ending up in a landfill.
- By donating things you don’t actually use every day, you free up space at home.
- You do a good deed for both yourself and the environment. Our planet’s resources are limited, and reuse helps protect the environment.
- Many people cannot afford to buy brand new items, so a donated item may be someone else’s only option.
What is Uuskasutuskeskus?
It is a non-profit organization established in 2004 with the aim of making reuse accessible to everyone in Estonia. Uuskasutuskeskus promotes reuse mainly in two ways: by directing clean and usable items back into circulation and by seeking ways to give new life to old things. Uuskasutuskeskus has 15 stores across Estonia, as well as an online shop at Pood.uuskasutus.ee. More info: Uuskasutus.ee
