Re-Use Box – New collection scheme for reusable items

Households often contain objects no longer used by the residents. These items often end up in the residual waste bin or are recycled. On the other hand, the Reuse Shops complain about a too small amount of Reuse goods, because they could sell significantly more of them. As part of the Interreg Central Europe project CERREC, which promoted the formalisation of the accredited Reuse and Repair Centres proposed by the European Waste Framework Directive, the partner ARGE - Association for Waste Prevention set up a stakeholder group on Reuse both in the city of Graz and in the province of Styria. Within these stakeholder groups, the idea of a new collecting tool for Reuse goods was implemented. Reusable items such as books, crockery, tools, toys, sports equipment, electrical appliances etc. are collected in this box. The re-use box is similar to a moving box, but its size has been optimised so that the filled boxes do not become too heavy. During the introduction of the Reuse Box, several serviced issue and return points were published. In the beginning, 40,000 boxes were produced with the support of the CERREC project and the city of Graz, which soon found their users. Later on additional boxes were produced. As a result, an additional 500 tonnes of useful items could be collected and sold in the Reuse Shops. This not only made a significant contribution to waste avoidance, but also helped the socio-economic operators of the Reuse Shops to preserve jobs and create new ones.