Municipal furniture reuse model

The need for a clear furniture reuse system emerged already in 2011 through eco-support activities in Turku. Education sector and work centre of Turku city co-ordinated by Turku Eco-Support agency, implemented a furniture reuse pilot, where surplus furniture of schools was moved to centralized warehouse and displayed on an internet-based reuse system. There was a clear need to continue the pilot and in the next phase, a mobile application was developed to streamline product import into the system and the pilot wanted to enable the tracking of furniture and the integration of other movable property into the system as well as the development of an existing website. In autumn 2018, the ownership of the reuse system was transferred to the Employment Service Centre of the City of Turku. During 2018, the system was further developed in a more user-friendly direction and preparations were made to extend its use to the entire city level. Furniture reuse responds to the challenge of the circular economy by enabling intra-city material cycling, increasing the visibility of available material across unit boundaries, improving decision-making and reducing unnecessary external purchases. In addition to moving furniture, other products and materials can be introduced into the system. The aim has been to build a reuse system in a way that the end result is a tested, replicable operating model and concept that can be used by other parties in the future.