For over 15 years, people in the Stavanger region have driven to Bruktbuå to find cheap, used goods. Now the bua is closed, and a brand new shopping center has opened. It would never have happened without the findings of a group of students with summer jobs at the region’s sorting facility in 2021. When the assistant head of department Tord Tjelflaat saw the results, it was only a short time before Ivar made a decision to greatly increase capacity. – We saw that large quantities of usable goods went into the trash. But we had never done any proper mapping, says Tjelflaat. On the opening day, 400 people queued to enter Norway’s, and perhaps Europe’s, largest shopping center for conversion. Expecting a fivefold increase The question Tjelflaat and the students asked themselves in the summer of 2021 was simple: How many more items could Ivar give new life to? Emilie Larsen, Solveig BJ Aarak and Tora Lindheim together with Frøydis Steinset (not in the picture) had a summer job with Ivar in 2021. Photo: Ivar One of the students was Emilie Larsen. Together with the others in the group, Larsen observed the customers at Foru’s recycling facility for eight weeks. What did they throw? Emilie Larsen. Photo: Jakub Spadlo / news – We collected, weighed and put a price tag on everything the customers said was usable, says Larsen. The results were striking: Over half of the customers threw away items that could have been given a new lease of life. Almost 1 in 3 electronic goods, such as speakers, TVs and kitchen appliances, were usable. At Foru’s recycling station alone, it amounts to around 400 tonnes each year. Large amounts of cleaning agent, paint and oil were thrown away. A great deal could have been used by others. Bruktbuå received over 800,000 kilos of recycled goods each year. But the students believed there was a local basis for receiving 5 million tonnes each year. It was an eye-opener for Tjelflaat and the Ivar management. – We had an inkling that a lot of usable material went into the trash, but never had any proper mapping, says Tjelflaat, who has 30 years in the waste industry behind him. Based on the findings of the students, Ivar recently opened a shopping center for reusable goods. Tjelflaat expects to be able to more than quintuple the turnover of used goods. Probably Europe’s largest shopping centre, which has been named R:Elsk, is the largest in Norway and probably the largest on the continent. – It is probably Europe’s largest. I have never heard of the husband, says ring fox Tjelflaat. And interest has been sky high since Ivar opened the center on 28 August. The queue was long out the front door when the new center opened. – It’s completely wild! It goes beyond all expectations, says Tjelflaat. Tord Tjelflaat is assistant department head for recycling in Ivar. Photo: Erlend Handeland Tuastad / news The shopping center will be the place for good second-hand purchases and repair services. Furniture, decorative items, sports equipment, building materials, white goods and tools are among the items on offer. In addition, the center will become the workplace for several people who have previously fallen out of working life. According to a study from Sintef from 2021, reuse and repair can provide Norway with 20,000 new jobs. The shopping center should be the place for good second-hand purchases and repair services. In addition, the center will become the workplace for several people who have previously fallen out of working life. New law will ensure that we throw away less Based on the mapping of the Rogalanders’ littering habits, the students estimated that 84 million usable goods could be “saved” annually in Norway. – It has been an eye-opener to see how much is actually thrown away, which can be used. It is a big environmental footprint that we consume so much, says former student Larsen. The government has been criticized for doing too little to stop the consumption carousel, but this summer a new law on sustainable products was passed (external link). The aim is to help products last longer, be easier to repair and create less waste. State Secretary Kjersti Bjørnstad (Sp) says that the government is working for more reuse. She believes that the government has made it easier to trade in used goods. The Ministry of Climate and the Environment, here by State Secretary Kjersti Bjørnstad (Sp), believes that offers such as R:Elsk make it easier to choose reuse. Photo: Lemet Johanas Nystad / news – I think this is a great initiative. A lot of what we throw away can be used again, and it’s good that Ivar is tackling this. Such offers, which make it easy for people to choose recycling, we think are very positive. At R:Elsk in Sandnes, customer Karianne Olsen says that she is very pleased that a brand new recycling center has opened in the region. She expects that she will come here quite often. – We actually have far too many things at home. So being able to hand it in, so that others can use it, is absolutely brilliant, says Olsen. Queues and a full shop when R:Elsk opened in Sandnes. The thrift store is probably Europe’s largest of its kind. Photo: Jakub Spadlo / news Published 03.09.2024, at 12.45 p.m
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The R:Elsk shopping center in Sandnes is probably Europe’s largest for conversion – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
