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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/aarhus-denmark-reimagining-reuse-circular-economy/>
"Every morning, about 50 to 100 people gather in line in front of a center
owned by the municipality of Aarhus, the second-largest city in Denmark. Here,
they can give — and take — all sorts of materials for free. More than two
metric tons of objects pass through the center per day, from sofas to dishes,
lamps to wardrobes, electronic devices to tables, all of which can be brought
to new homes via cargo bikes the city lends to citizens.
The project started in 2015 when Kredsløb, a company owned by the city, noticed
how much the citizens of Aarhus were throwing away. To solve this problem, they
created a center called Reuse, explains Peter Christensen, its coordinator: a
reimagined recycling station where goods can be taken for free.
Denmark is known for its green policies and efforts to create a circular
economy, in which “nothing becomes waste and the intrinsic value of products
and materials are retained,” as defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It
was ranked first in the 2022 Environmental Performance Index, and cities in the
country are working on plans to become climate neutral. As part of one such
plan, Aarhus has developed a waste strategy that will ultimately include seven
material exchange centers placed inside recycling stations across the city, of
which Reuse is the first.
“You take something that wasn’t worth anything and add value to it just by
picking it up. This idea is maybe the key or the cornerstone of what Reuse is
to me,” explains Lasse Andersen, a Reuse regular of about four years.
With a passion for design that led him to create a company to relaunch classic
pieces from the Danish Modern movement, Andersen emphasizes the value of
classic, old and possibly reused furniture. He notes that those who know what
they’re looking at can find pieces from renowned, retro brands — and knowing
what those items are worth makes people value them more, even if they’re used.
“They just need to be seen in the right context,” he says."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
