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This means that the KSJ now has a central location for environmental education, where children and young people in particular are introduced to topics such as waste separation, recycling and resource conservation in a practical way.
Environmental education has developed continuously over the past few years. A structured and reliable program has evolved from individual requests from kindergartens and schools. Today, this includes fixed program points: from a tour of the refuse collection vehicles and insights into the container washing plant to stations in the recycling depot and in the transfer hall. The aim remains the same: to convey how waste management works in an understandable way - without detours and as close as possible to real-life situations.
More than 1,200 groups have taken advantage of this offer since 2012. In 2025 alone, around 1,300 children and young people took part. These figures speak for themselves: the demand is there, and it continues to grow. The Umwelthaus is the necessary and logical response to this.
A special feature is the newly designed outdoor area with used building materials. We would like to express our thanks to the trainees from the Public Greenery department, who have worked hard to create this area. The result is not a decorative outdoor area, but a functional learning space with a clear purpose.
The focus is on material cycles. Visitors learn which waste fractions there are and what belongs in which container. These basics are explained clearly and comprehensibly. In addition, a pulling course with different surfaces clearly demonstrates the physical effort required in the day-to-day work of refuse collectors. Depending on the surface, the effort required changes considerably - an impression that experience has shown to have a lasting effect. The offer is rounded off with concrete figures and comparisons from everyday working life: How much residual waste is produced each year? How much paper is collected? Such ratios - for example in comparison to the height of the JenTower - make dimensions tangible and stick in the memory.
During the opening ceremony, the city of Jena emphasized the importance of cooperation between all the departments involved. The plant management also made it clear that young people in particular are crucial when it comes to anchoring sustainable behavior in everyday life in the long term.
Special thanks go to all the departments involved - from technology, the building yard and public green spaces to marketing & sales and the staff at the recycling center. With the Umwelthaus, a place has been created that not only complements environmental education, but anchors it permanently.