The Utrecht reuse centre is officially open : a new step for one of the PREUSE pilot operation !
On 18 March, the City of Utrecht inaugurated its public reuse centre, now officially known as ‘Trechterweide’, in reference to the district's historical roots. The creation of the Utrecht reuse centre is one of the three pilot operation of the PREUSE project, and this is our first inauguration. Congratulations to all!
Context and missions of the reuse centre
Utrecht is a fast-growing city that is continuing to develop and is choosing to reuse construction materials to reduce its CO2 emissions.
One of the biggest opportunities lies in the reuse of paving stones. Utrecht has almost 7 million square metres of pavement, the equivalent of more than 580 football fields. Streets of Utrecht are regularly redesigned and greened, providing many opportunities to put reuse into practice. Before the reuse centre is set up, each project will have to assess whether it is possible to store and reuse the materials
Officially opened on 18 March 2025, the centre is located on the Lage Weide industrial estate. Its main mission, in collaboration with local authority teams, is to collect, repair and clean used materials from public spaces.
« Trechterweide », a name rooted in the area
The inauguration was attended by many of the centre's current and future users, as well as stakeholders and local industry players from the surrounding area. Local councillor Susanne Schilderman was on hand to give her views on the project:
Susane Schilderman "The name ‘Trechterweide’ refers to the original name of the area. This place once provided space for all city residents, for example, to let their livestock graze. With the establishment of the reuse centre, the area will once again play a major role for all residents of our city. (…) With the reuse centre, we are reducing our ecological footprint as a city and taking an important step toward a circular city by 2050."
A reuse centre that already plays a significant role
Not every project has the capacity to store its own reuse and reclaimed materials. That's what the new reuse centre does. Over the past few months, it has already played a key role in several projects. For example, paving stones from the Amsterdamsestraatweg have been reused on the Befu site, where temporary housing is being built. Similarly, tiles from the Archimedeslaan have found a new purpose as a seating wall in a community garden complex.
Stay tuned!
The pilot operation in Utrecht is an integral part of the studies currently being carried out on the project, particularly with regard to the project's first objective: produce a strategy on how to develop innovative reuse centres for building materials salvaged from public sites in NWE.