Paljassaare waste station opens recycling room
The City of Tallinn, in cooperation with the Uuskasutuskeskus/Reuse Centre, has opened a recycling room at the Paljassaare waste station, where people can bring items that have become redundant at home, but are in good working order and fit for use.
Joosep Vimm, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, inaugurated the new venture by cutting through a pair of unusable jeans. Holding the ‘ribbon’ were Diana Paakspuu, member of the board of the NGO Uuskasuteskeskus, and Kristjan Mark, manager of the Tallinn Waste Management Centre.
“Opening recycling rooms at waste stations is the first step in transforming the waste stations into circular economy centres. In the future, repair workshops will also be set up at the waste stations. The idea behind the recycling rooms was to make it convenient for people to bring both waste and decent-quality items that they no longer need to the same place. By sorting things according to their purpose, we reduce waste and save the environment,” said Joosep Vimm. “First and foremost, we should avoid waste, for example by using things for as long as possible. Items that become obsolete at home can be useful to others, so recycling should be preferred to throwing them away.”
According to Diana Paakspuu, setting up a recycling room at the waste station is a good idea. “This way you can bring things that you dare not or should not throw into the waste container. We hope that this handy facility will help even more things in good condition to find their way back into circulation,” said Paakspuu.
People can bring all sorts of clean and undamaged items that they no longer need: clothes, shoes, toys, books, music, dishes, cutlery, hobby and sports equipment, decorative items, household textiles, small household appliances. In the recycling room, product categories are arranged by labels on shelves or in large baskets, and advice is available from the operator on site.
If you bring something to the recycling room and notice something you need in return, you can take it for free. The Reuse Centre comes to empty the room when it is full and the items have not found a new owner. The Reuse Centre will sort all the items brought into the recycling room and then reutilizes them in Uuskasutuskeskus shops or donates them to those in need through partners. While smaller items ranging from clothes to small household appliances can be brought to the new recycling room, sometimes there is also a surplus of decent furniture and larger household appliances that may also be recycled. If the furniture is in good condition and the equipment is in working order and ready for use, you can arrange for a Reuse Centre van to pick it up free of charge by emailing kaubik@uuskasutus.ee.
Paljassaare waste station and recycling room is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 14.00 to 19.00 and on weekends from 10.00 to 15.00. There is no charge for returning intact and usable items to the recycling room, and all other separately collected waste is charged according to the price list. More information can be found on the website of Tallinn Waste Management Centre at jaatmejaam.ee.
