Uuskasutuskeskus. Give things a new life!

At the end of 2019, Astri Grupp and Uuskasutuskeskus (eng. Re-use Centre) organized an architectural competition to create an environmentally friendly and innovative collection house that fits nicely into the urban space.

The winner was architect Kristian Taaksalu’s work “Nööp”, which stood out with its unique design and functionality.

The Uuskasutuskeskus collection houses are built on a wooden structure and on a concreate foundation. It only needs electricity to operate, which can be obtained largely from the solar panels on the roof.

The Uuskasutuskeskus collection houses are open 24/7 for self-service. Items can be dropped off through special hatches. During weekends there is also attendant who accepts items that cannot be dropped off through the hatches such as gentle dishes, items of very large size, etc. All things that are good in condition will be re-used again by the Uuskasutuskeskus.

“Some of the items will be sold in the Uuskasutuskeskus stores, and some of the items will be given free of charge through our cooperation partners to those in need, such as large families and homeless people,” says the Uuskasutus CEO Diana Paakspuu.

The first collection houses were opened at the beginning of summer 2021 in Tartu and Pärnu. “The houses have been very well received and people bring more actively items than we originally expected. We are very happy, because it shows that people are concerned more and more about different environmental aspects and thus also want to contribute to re-use,” added Diana Paakspuu.

The first 4 collection house modules are located in Estonian cities: Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu and Narva in the areas of Astri Group Shopping centres’ parking lots.

We are proud of this joint work and we thank Uuskasutuskeskus for its contribution for saving the environment. We also encourage everyone to recycle!

The pictures are taken from the collection house opening party of Narva Fama Center and Tallinn Balti jaam.