Kotka’s Circular Economy Day is all about exchanging, repairing, refurbishing and recycling
28.10.2024 | On Saturday 16.11. at 10.00 – 15.00, there will be a circular economy day in Savotta’s sports hall. Savotta’s address is Mussalontie 428.
The aim of the event is to make the circular economy more familiar to the people of Kotka through a variety of activities, workshops and examples. The event will include an exchange of goods, repair and crafting tips, recycling advice, a textile recycling point and a community artwork made from textile waste. City of Kotka decision-makers have been invited from 11-12 to share their money-saving tips. Vanikka has cafe services throughout the event.
Companies and other operators offering repair and refurbishment services in Kotka will have the opportunity to come and present their services at the event. There is still room for participation, so interested operators are invited to contact roosa.rosenqvist@kotka.fi with a low threshold.
Except for the cafe, there will be no sale of products or services at the event. Only items that are in working order may be brought to the exchange: clothes, small household items and hobby equipment.
If you wish, you can bring your items to the venue from 8.00 onwards. The maximum number of items allowed is one medium-sized bag (e.g. a standard grocery bag or cloth bag) per person. There will also be a cuttings exchange point where one cuttings will be exchanged for one, i.e. you can take no more than the amount you have brought. Not for retailers.
The event is organised in cooperation with the City of Kotka’s Environmental Protection and Welfare Promotion Service Units, Kotka Recycling and Assistance Association and Sotek Foundation.
What is the circular economy?
The circular economy is about using existing goods and materials for as long and as sensibly as possible. The primary objective is to keep goods in use for the purpose for which they were made. This phase can be extended, for example, by selling, exchanging or donating used goods if you have no further use for them. When a fault occurs, the goods are repaired.
Items that have fallen into disuse can also be refurbished and refurbished, or used in completely new ways. When a good reaches the point where it can no longer be refurbished, the next step is to recycle its parts into raw materials for the manufacture of new goods.
“We wanted to organise an event aimed at residents, with the aim of making the circular economy more familiar to the people of Kotka. The circular economy is already part of many people’s everyday lives in different ways. For example, borrowing a book from the library, sewing a loose button back on a garment, buying from a flea market and sorting packaging plastics for recycling are all circular economy activities. The circular economy challenges us to find ways to extend the life and life cycle of goods, as it aims to reduce the over-consumption of natural resources and the amount of waste generated. By adopting a circular economy approach, we can reduce our environmental footprint, reduce carbon emissions and save money at the same time,” says Roosa Rosenqvist, a sustainability expert from the City of Kotka’s Environmental Protection Department.
“Events like this, together with associations, are participatory at its best. The circular economy is a very topical theme and I, for one, find it nice to think about new uses for things that have reached the end of their useful life. By inviting decision-makers to think about saving, we can hopefully get some new perspectives and ideas for planning municipal activities, for example,” says Hanna Pikka, Inclusion Coordinator at the city’s Welfare Promotion Unit.