New department store in Ludwigsfelde: recycling and bargains combined!

New department store in Ludwigsfelde: recycling and bargains combined!

On June 1st, the “House of Small Prices” opened in Ludwigsfelde, another mainstay of the solidarity department store of the Ludwigsfeld Association for Social Management in Brandenburg (Solbra). The new location is located in the former Kik branch at Potsdamer Straße 55 and expands the existing range of second-hand goods. But what exactly can customers expect in the new store?

The offer in the newly opened store primarily includes shoes and textiles and uses two sales and work areas, which also means that the existing store at Potsdamer Straße 57a remains open and sells furniture, technology and household goods. “With this opening, we are expanding our offering and creating even more space for sustainable consumption,” explains the Solbra board.

A strong network for the environment and society

It is interesting that the opening of the “House of Small Prices” was made possible by an innovative recycling pilot project in collaboration with the South Brandenburg Waste Purpose Association (SBAZV). This supports the project and covers the rental costs for the new store. In the region, Solbra collects 1,500 kilos of old clothes every week from 13 textile containers, sorts them and sells well-preserved items.

This initiative not only benefits the environment but also emphasizes the importance of separate collection of textile waste. From January 1, 2025, the separate collection requirement for textiles will come into force in Germany, which means that 50 percent of waste must be recycled. A challenge that is not only limited to Lünen and Brandenburg, but also affects larger cities such as Riga, where residents have proven to have saved more than 14 million euros by sorting waste in 2022.

A look beyond borders – waste avoidance as a common goal

In Ludwigfelde and Riga there are efforts to improve waste management. What this means for Lithuanians is that the recycling of packaging and glass waste has increased and more and more households are able to reduce their waste management costs. “With special containers for recyclable materials and new measures to promote waste separation, our goal is to exceed the EU averages in separated waste management,” reports the Riga City Ordinance.

The amount of textile waste collected in Germany was 175,000 tons in 2023, an increase of 55 percent compared to 2013. These figures show that it is becoming increasingly important not to dispose of old clothes and used textiles with residual waste, but to recycle them. A responsibility that each individual bears.

The opening hours of the “House of Small Prices” are flexible: the textile shop is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The furniture, technology and household goods store remains closed on Saturdays, but is also open during the same hours from Monday to Friday. This gives citizens plenty of opportunity to shop sustainably and not only save money, but also do something good for the environment.

For those who are looking for a bargain or a new favorite item, a visit to the “House of Small Prices” is worth it - a step in the right direction for responsible and environmentally conscious consumerism.

More information can be found in the reports from maz-online.de, riga.lv and destatis.de.