Two new food distribution stations for Dresden

On Tuesday, 25.02.2025, the time had come: two new Fairteiler were handed over for public use. Fairteiler are objects in publicly accessible locations where food can be shared free of charge and unconditionally since 2014. There are already over 20 such locations in Dresden in the form of simple shelves, fridges or Euroboxes on bicycle racks, set up in social institutions, universities, parishes or other public spaces. Hundreds of Dresden volunteers look after the locations with the aim of rescuing surplus food and passing on this unused food in an uncomplicated way. An overview of Dresden's Fairteiler can be found here.

"The problem is that the locations are usually undesigned, they get lost in the hustle and bustle of the city and are therefore often only used by initiated food savers. This gave rise to the idea for the project. We wanted to develop constructions that stand out and have a striking recognition value. The new fair dividers are by no means just places to store food, they are also meeting places where people can come together." says Johanna Edelmann,
who, as a Research Associate at the Chair of Architectural Design and Construction II, initiated and managed the project and supervised the students in implementing the objects they had designed themselves as part of a design-build workshop.

The entire project received an unexpectedly large response and attracted not only numerous visitors, but also media interest. MDR was on site twice with live reports, as two different Fairteiler were presented. One fair divider is now located at the skater park on Lingnerallee, while the second has found its place in the community garden of the SLUB branch library at August-Bebel-Str. 18.

"People who prefer to share their food instead of throwing it away are making a major contribution to waste prevention and climate protection. That's why the state capital supports every initiative that brings the avoidance of food waste even more clearly into the focus of Dresden's residents. There are already a number of public exchange points where people can donate food they do not need. Every additional one helps people to integrate waste-preventing measures into their everyday lives."
welcomes Dresden's Environment Mayor Eva Jähnigen on the construction and inauguration of the two new Fairteiler. The state capital has made the public space available for the installation of the Fairteilers on Lingnerallee.

And, with regard to such measures, it is even possible to draw on experience already gained, which is very positive. Stefanie Nünchert reports on the "ZUR TONNE" education project:
"From 2020 to 2023, during the week against food waste in September, we already tested public fair dividers in the citizens' laboratory at the city hall. The feedback from the many Dresdeners was consistently positive and they were surprised at how much good food was being sorted out. People came and brought surplus fruit and vegetables from allotment gardens, tea and baking mixes that they had been given but did not use. Visitors also reported that they already use other sharing offers, e.g. for books, cars or clothing. The conclusion: they would also use fair sharers if they were attractive, accessible and trustworthy. I think that we have come closer to meeting these wishes with the new Fairteilers and the cooperations."

Ronny Zenker from foodsharing Dresden can also draw on many years of experience, as he has been supporting and supervising the Fairteiler projects with great commitment for years:
"There are currently 22 Fairteiler in Dresden, with whom we have already been able to gain experience in practicality and application. However, there is a lack of reproducibility, recognition value and adaptation to the cityscape. In addition to the typical Fairteiler boxes, the new designs also offer benches and bicycle racks as an additional function. If the fair dividers are well received by the people of Dresden, we can produce them more frequently and hopefully use them in other cities too. I hope that increased recognition value will subsequently increase acceptance among the population. I find the two new fair divider models very attractive and practical. I am confident that they will be widely used."

The project was supported with 2,500 euros in prize money from the "eku Zukunftspreis" of the Saxon State Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture.

We would like to thank our cooperation partners and the dedicated students who successfully brought the project to fruition.

TU Dresden - Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Chair of Architectural Design and Construction II
Prof. Michael Vaerst

Seminar management and supervision of the students
WMA M.Sc. Johanna Edelmann