CircBrief: The pioneer municipalities are masters of reuse

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Reuse solutions encompass all measures that extend the lifecycle of products: maintenance, repair, refurbishment, updating, selling used items, manufacturing recycled products, and related services

The pioneer municipalities are masters of reuse

Reuse is often a better option than material recycling

is a key aspect of a carbon-neutral circular economy. By extending the • Reuse life cycles of products and goods, the natural resources we utilize remain in use, reducing the need for consuming virgin natural resources. Thus, reuse effectively reduces environmental impact.

reuse promotes economic and social equality by offering a variety of • Organizing jobs and learning opportunities, as well as quality used goods at a lower cost. municipalities that are actively building a better future for their residents • Pioneer play a strong role in providing reuse opportunities to their residents. responsible municipality sets an example by acquiring used items or • Arepairing and refurbishing items in its own properties. potentials of reuse are linked to achieving climate goals, emissions • The savings, employment, opportunities for volunteering and participation, economic equality, as well as solutions for sustainable economy and business.

Every municipality should invest in these matters!

• CircBrief – best practices of circular economy • October 2023 •

Korjaa.se

The attitude is changing in the right direction

Korjaa.se is a free online service developed by Ekokumppanit Oy and Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto Oy, connecting owners of broken items with local repair professionals. The goal is to highlight repair as an alternative to buying new and make repair as easy as possible.

According to a study conducted by the CircHubs project, the challenges of reuse are related to costs, logistics, the ability to meet customer’s needs, attitudes, perceptions, and trends. Many wonder how liabilities for a used product are divided, whether the quality of the product is sufficient, and if the product is safe. It can be challenging to find large quantities of uniform products through reuse.

Pioneer municipalities play a significant role in finding solutions to these challenges and many have already been addressed to.

The prevailing attitude is currently undergoing a significant change, and with the improvement in the quality of new products due to the so-called Ecodesign Directive, trust in used products can also improve.

Mapping circular economy

Reuse addresses many of the municipality’s strategic goals Transitioning to a circular economy requires investments in reuse, new types of operating structures, and a new way of thinking from all of us. Circular economy goals can be achieved by investing in reuse within the municipality.

Savings on many levels Hand in hand with saving natural resources, carbon emissions are reduced. When existing products are reused locally, emissions related to production and transportation can be avoided. The reduced emissions can also be calculated and included in the municipality’s sustainability report. Manufacturing new products is also clearly linked to the loss of biodiversity. The use of new natural resources together with mining and deforestation as well as clearing of fields and fertilization narrow the opportunities for organisms to live.

Much-needed jobs for various types of work and expertise Reuse organization requires logistics experts, drivers, sorters, warehouse and store personnel, customer service, bike repairers, electrical appliance repairers, seamstresses, cobblers, milliners, and so on. The mu-

A municipality can compile a service map of circular economy actors in the area: The Helsinki Metropolitan Circular Economy Service Map is linked to the municipal service map.

palvelukartta.hel.fi/en > Search: Circular economy

nicipality’s employment and youth study activity goals can be linked to the organization of reuse.

There is a lot of work in the field of reuse that you can learn by doing. Highly educated individuals can also find jobs: communication, marketing, supervision, management, strategic development, and production control are needed. Entirely new companies may emerge.

Social well-being for residents Maintenance, repairs, and refurbishments, as well as the sale of used items, mainly take place locally, within the municipality. Reuse and care of goods, i.e., repair, maintenance, and refurbishment skills, are of paramount importance in society’s crisis situations and strengthen society’s resilience. By encouraging entrepreneurs to provide these services and residents to use the services, the municipality invests in its future. Employing residents in reuse adds to the entire municipality’s circular economy expertise, tax revenue, and social well-being. Social equality and equal rights for residents are found in municipal strategies. Diverse reuse supply increase equality, as used products are often more affordable than new ones, making quality products accessible to everyone.

• CircBrief – best practices of circular economy • The pioneer municipalities are masters of reuse • October 2023 •

It’s time for reuse!

Traditionally, reuse has not conformed to industrial standards and giant facilities. Strengthening and supporting small-scale activities mainly handled by the third sector has been difficult, even deemed impossible or unnecessary, in municipalities. The development of reuse has been overshadowed by investments in material recycling and waste incineration.

However, as we move towards a circular society, these issues will inevitably come to the forefront.

Reuse is waste prevention and one of the most crucial steps towards a functioning circular economy.

Even the EU has awakened to this, initiating monitoring of reuse in 2021. Due to the lack of monitoring data and goals, the sector has not taken major leaps in development. Our research on reuse is vague, and there is no clear overall picture of the industry.

Even the use of terms is sometimes confusing and inconsistent.

The time for reuse is now. The EU encourages Finland to increase reuse, and the National Waste Plan states that reuse must be taken to the next level!

The traditional waste hierarchy prefers the prevention of waste generation Most preferred

Prevention Reuse Recycling Recovery

Least preferred

Disposal

Waste recovery as energy should be least preferred, but the reality is different Most preferred

Prevention?

Reuse 1–3 % Recycling 37 % Recovery 63 %

Least preferred

Disposal 1–3 % © Finnish Environment Institute

Unmissable opportunities and new momentum The municipality can do truly meaningful work by documenting its investments in reuse, their effects, and setting reuse-related goals. In this way, it becomes a pioneer in producing information and, is ready when reporting systems develop and goal-setting extends more broadly.

The municipality is usually one of the largest purchasers in its area. In all purchases, the primary consideration should be the possibility of reusing old items in some way or acquiring the products as used. Guidelines for procurement should be put in place and procurement decision-makers should be trained in these aspects. By keeping a registry of owned assets, refurbishing old items, and reusing products, the municipality sets an example in its area.

This is also a significant investment in the development of the local area.

The municipality is responsible for organizing waste management for its residents. Waste management costs are lower if reuse can be organized in the municipality so that reusable products are put back into use before they become waste. Communication, counselling, cooperation with waste management facilities, and innovative solutions that make residents’ daily lives easier play a significant role here.

A pioneer municipality fearlessly tackles the questions of extending the product lifecycle in collaboration with waste management operators, reuse operators, companies from various industries, and residents. The goal is to make reuse easy for residents and businesses.

Collaboration between waste stations and reuse operators has actively started in many places, especially after the launch of textile waste collection.

The municipality can decide to direct support to reuse operators. Support can take various forms: rent support, municipal employment support, investment support, innovation funding, or direct funding based on, for example, kilograms of reused items.

The municipality can also influence the conditions for reuse by, for example, land use planning, defining principles for building use, and participating in projects that promote reuse.

It is part of the municipality’s role to elevate the appreciation of reuse, repair, and refurbishment by integrating them strongly and concretely into school curricula and in the municipality’s own communications.

• CircBrief – best practices of circular economy • The pioneer municipalities are masters of reuse • October 2023 •

RENET Reuse Network connects the practitioners of reuse Significant savings were achieved in Lahti Kukkanen primary school in the City of Lahti, Finland is one of the pioneers in recycled furniture procurement, furnishing its premises almost exclusively with recycled furniture. The furniture order delivered to Kukkanen school included over 300 student desks, furniture for the students’ active lobby, and soft furniture for the teachers’ room, as well as meeting and break room areas. Most of the furniture is up to 3–5 years old and is still part of the manufacturers’ product range, so choosing recycled products reduced the cost of furniture procurement to a quarter compared to an equivalent new purchase. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd. audited the procurements, indicating that the use of recycled furniture saved 71,000 kg of solid natural resources. CO2 emissions were reduced by 22,500 kg, equivalent to the average Finnish residential emissions over a period of more than 10 years.

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Read more: circwaste.fi > Current > News > Regional news > Recycled furniture saved over 70,000 kilos of natural resources in a school in Lahti (News 2022.03.07)

Support for recycling purchases in the Helsinki metropolitan area The role of municipalities in promoting reuse extends beyond procurement. In various contexts, a municipality can encourage its residents to make wise choices.

Municipalities in the Helsinki metropolitan area provide payment commitments to customers receiving social assistance to the Reuse Cenre. From the Reuse Centre, customers can make significantly more necessary purchases for the same amount of money compared

In the network, we collectively solve challenges in the industry and influence our operating conditions in society.

Through collaboration, reuse is made equally accessible to everyone in daily life and in crisis situations, offering meaningful local work.

Welcome aboard! renet.fi

to new goods stores. In this case the choice is, of course, up to the customer, but the opportunity and signal offered by the municipality are strong. Reuse is normal, acceptable, and possible.

Taking inspiration from Sweden for reuse in Raisio The City of Raisio is exploring the possibility of creating an entirely new type of reuse centre. The goal is to bring the operation to where people make their consumption choices: a bustling shopping centre. The aim is to create an active network of reuse operators in the area, which the city could support functionally.

One of the role models for the people of Raisio is the municipality of Eskilstuna in Sweden. Retuna, established in Eskilstuna, is a shopping centre focused on reuse, with the municipality collaborating closely with companies aiming to extend the lifespan of products, and providing employment opportunities for those facing challenges in the job market. Additionally, the municipality’s environmental education is linked to the Retuna concept. Eskilstuna is a relatively small city and has gained global attention thanks to the media interest sparked by Retuna.

CircBrief – best practices of circular economy:

The pioneer municipalities are masters of reuse October 2023 Authors: Tuovi Kurttio and Katja Viberg, Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd. Helena Dahlbo and Kati Pitkänen, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) References: CircHubs – Suomen kiertotalouskeskusten yhteinen verkosto. https://circhubs.fi/ Ekosuunnittelu.info – ekosuunnittelu- ja energiamerkintäsäädösten tiedotuskanava. https://ekosuunnittelu.info EU:n komissio: Suomen lisättävä yhdyskuntajätteen kierrätystä ja vähennettävä jätteen polttamista ympäristöministeriö, tiedote 8.6.2023. https://valtioneuvosto.fi/-/1410903/eu-n-komissio-suomen-lisattavayhdyskuntajatteen-kierratysta-ja-vahennettava-jatteen-polttamista Kierrätyksestä kiertotalouteen: Valtakunnallinen jätesuunnitelma vuoteen 2027.

Ympäristöministeriön julkaisuja 2022:13. http://urn.fi URN:ISBN:978-952-361-266-2 Taru Peltola, Kati Pitkänen ja Elli Schubin: Miten halu hankkia uutta voitaisiin kääntää haluksi huolehtia vanhasta? CircBlog 14.10.2022. https://www.syke.fi/fi-FI/content/64069/29961 Communications specialist: Katja Lepistö, Syke Layout: Satu Turtiainen, Syke Photos: stock.adobe.com and Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd. Helsinki, Finland 10/2023 LIFE15 IPE FI 004 Circwaste-project receives financial support from EU for the production of its materials. The views reflected within the contents are entirely the project’s own and the EU commission is not responsible for any use of them.

ISBN 978-952-11-5608-3 (online) ISBN 978-952-11-5609-0 (print)