© Ryck Thill
The new platform guttsaach.lu gives donated items a second life by distributing them to schools, nurseries, and associations, with support from the Ministry of the Environment, Climate, and Biodiversity.
The initiative comes from the Intermunicipal Syndicate for Ecological Purposes (SIVEC), which includes Esch-sur-Alzette and five other southern municipalities. Until now, donations were organised informally via WhatsApp groups. The new platform allows schools, nurseries, day-care centres, and associations across the country to register and reserve the items they need directly.
At the recycling centre in Schifflange, incoming items are set aside for institutions and associations. Patrick Finkelstein, head of the resource centre, highlighted a key new feature: companies can now register to donate, and associations can request specific materials, such as wood. "The aim is also to strengthen links with schools", he added. Ernad Redzovic, responsible for sorting, showed RTL examples of toys collected at the centre that are now ready for reuse.
Around 100 tonnes of material are redistributed each year through the scheme. The new platform is expected to boost both the supply of goods and demand from institutions that can put them to use.
The Ministry of the Environment, Climate, and Biodiversity has welcomed the initiative, noting that it complements the government’s broader waste-reduction and recycling goals. Paul Rasqué, an adviser at the ministry, emphasised that while they actively support the idea, participation ultimately depends on the decisions of individual syndicates and municipalities, each of which manages its own recycling centres.
