Reusing furniture and small appliances and not throwing it away - this is what the partners of the EU project "Surface" (Smart Urban Reuse Flagship Alliances in Central Europe) have written for themselves. A 40-member delegation from nine European countries has now met for a two-day kick-off event in Kempten. The aim of the initiative, which has been in place since July 2017, is the re-use of supposedly disused items in so- called "Smart Re-Use Parks", explained Christian Leonhardsberger from Abfallwirtschaft Tirol Mitte (ATM), who is in charge of the overall project management .
In the "Smart Re-Use Parks" but not just thrown away Items are recycled, repaired and returned to the economic cycle. Encounters and jobs for disadvantaged people should also be created, said ZAK project manager Claudia Mayer. An example of a "Smart Re- Use Park" is the used goods "Allerhand" department store of the ZAK in Kempten. It will be run by the HOI Association, which employs people with mental illness and disability.
Large regional differences However, such projects are not possible in all partner regions. "The differences are big," said Mayer. In Slovenia, the tax rate for second-hand goods is included Resale, for example, at 25 percent. In Germany it is only seven percent. Nonetheless, each project participant has the mandate to promote the subject of "re- use" within the funding period of three years - until June 31, 2020. "Five countries are to implement a Smart Re-Use Park. The partners in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy and Slovenia are conducting a feasibility study, "said Leonhardsberger. In these four countries Waste management structures such as recycling centers would be missing. The long-term goal is to later disseminate the ideas that have been developed.
