Exchange house

Swapping instead of disposing

Kommunalservice Jena (KSJ) would like to help avoid waste and enable reuse. Old things find new owners at the KSJ's swap house. Mascot Freddy from Science City Jena Basketball dug deep into his moth box during the vacation season and brought all kinds of useful items. There were some real gems to be found on site, which you can take away for free. Take a look for yourself - the staff at Saale Betreuungswerk look forward to your visit! - Watch the video

Exchange house at Löbstedter Straße 68

The Tauschhaus is located on the grounds of the KSJ. Two house containers with visitor parking spaces offer a free platform for exchanging used media.

Swap house 2.0 in Jena

Sustainability in action: 78% reuse in 2025

In 2025, a total of 85.6 tons of goods were handed in. Of these, 69.3 tons could be reused.

This corresponds to a reuse rate of 78%. A further 18% was sent for recycling (95% paper) or thermal recovery (5% residual waste). There was no other waste in the narrower sense.

The total addition amounted to 89.4 tons, including a stock of 3.5 tons carried over from 2024.

Books remain the largest category of goods

At 45.7 tons, books accounted for the largest share of additions(53.1%).
Books also remain the leading outflow: 28.5 tons or 41.1% of all goods issued.

Other important groups of goods sold:

• Porcelain and glass: 10.4 tons
• Toys: 6.5 tons
• Decorative items: 5.0 tons
• Kitchenware: 4.1 tons

This shows once again that household goods and media form the backbone of reuse.

32.962 customers in the year 2025

A total of 32,962 customers used the service in 2025.
This confirms: The demand for an alternative to throwing things away remains high.

Climate protection that is measurable: 156 tons of CO₂ saved

By reusing 69.3 tons of household goods and media, around 156 tons of CO₂ were saved in 2025. This corresponds to the annual emissions of around 78 average cars (with a mileage of around 13,000 km and 6 liters of petrol consumption).

Where does this figure come from?

The production of a book (300 pages) causes approx. 1.2 kg of CO₂ per kg. Household items (e.g. vases, cutlery, glasses) save a total of approx. 3 kg of CO₂ per kg when reused. (Sources: co2online, Öko-Institut e.V., European Environment Agency, Federal Environment Agency)

Conclusion

2025 clearly shows that reuse works.
It saves raw materials, disposal costs and measurable CO₂.

Every item handed in counts. Thanks to everyone who takes part.