Prague Citizens Donated 14 Tons of Used Items to Re-Use Centres

Last October, a pilot project that set up points of re-use was launched by the capital and Prague Services, an organization that deals with the management and disposal of household waste.

Prague citizens approach the recently established re-use centres with commendable enthusiasm as more than 14 tons of various items have been donated so far. Interested parties have already received 1,820 items.

Initially, the collection points were located at Pod Šancemi street in Prague 9 and Zakrýta street in Prague 4. Subsequently, the project was expanded, adding the third point at Horní Počernice in Prague 20.

In about six months, centres managed to save 14,372 kilograms of things that would usually be thrown away, and 1,820 items were given to people in need. The greatest interest was caused by household items, such as dishes, bed linen, or small furniture. Thanks to the project, various equipment and facilities came into use once again.   

In recent months, not only non-profit companies that provide equipment to people in material need but also the people of Prague themselves, have been taking part in the project. The creators made a user-friendly website (nevyhazujto.cz) to make donations and delivery of items easier than before.

“The concept of re-use, where things find new uses rather than being thrown away, has already been successfully applied in practice abroad. Thanks to these centres, we are able to reduce the amount of waste in the metropolis and bring the circular economy into the consciousness of Prague citizens, which is the right step to change people’s thinking about what belongs to waste and what could be used by those in need,” said Petr Hlubuček, Deputy Mayor for Environment.

People donated a lot of books and seasonal items to the centres. For instance, a variety of tools for working in the garden were handed over in spring, whereas decorations and artificial trees were primarily received during the Christmas season.

Thanks to the success of the pilot project, Prague plans to expand the network to other places in the capital.

“The positive feedback from the operation of the re-use centres encouraged us to widen the system by building more of them in the future, helping reduce the amount of waste produced in the territory of Prague,” Hlubuček concluded.