Two years is a good start

Frankfurt Zero Waste Lab reports positive 2024 results

Avoiding waste, reusing generated waste, using resources carefully, and promoting measures that enable this – these are the goals of the Frankfurt Zero Waste Lab, which began work in November 2022. Since then, Frankfurt citizens have submitted 43 ideas, seven of which have been successfully implemented and two more are currently in progress.

In 2024, three projects were realized. In Frankfurt-Niederrad, the “Teilei” opened its doors, a shop where nothing is sold but everything is shared. The goal of the Teilei is to strengthen the second-hand concept, avoid waste, and bring people together. The project was implemented with the involvement of the Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH (FES), the Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main, and the local Chamber of Commerce. Also last year, the “Abfalljagd” app was launched, which playfully motivates people to pick up litter and dispose of it correctly. Around 1,800 photos are submitted each month showing how citizens pick up and properly dispose of waste in public spaces. In summer 2024, the Secondhand department store Neufundland hosted a Repair Exhibition, inspiring Frankfurt citizens with ideas about repairing and DIY projects.

“The lab did valuable work in 2024, which will continue. Avoiding waste and using resources carefully, extending product life cycles – all ideas that contribute are valuable and enable a child- and grandchild-friendly future in Frankfurt,” says Benjamin Scheffler, patron of the Zero Waste Lab and CEO of FES.

“The Zero Waste Lab raises awareness for sustainable alternatives and for protecting our climate and environment. Acting within planetary boundaries also means handling our raw materials and resources consciously instead of throwing them away carelessly. Only in this way can we make Frankfurt a city of sustainable action, also for future generations,” says Tina Zapf-Rodríguez, Frankfurt’s Department Head for Climate, Environment, and Women, and also patron of the Zero Waste Lab.

The lab, coordinated by FES together with the Environmental Office of the City of Frankfurt, is a think tank incorporating citizen participation and voluntary engagement. Its goal is to identify ways out of resource waste and support Frankfurt on its path to becoming a Zero Waste City. The agenda is ambitious: together with other European cities, Frankfurt is working to avoid waste and reuse or recycle generated waste.

More information on the Zero Waste Lab: Externer Link zu https://zerowaste-lab.de.