Dresden is fighting against food waste: New fair dividers in use!

Dresden is fighting against food waste: New fair dividers in use!

Architecture students at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) have launched a remarkable project to actively address the problem of food waste in the city. Under the supervision of Prof. Michael Vaerst, they designed and manufactured food distribution stations, the so-called “Fairteiler”. These were officially presented and set up at two locations in Dresden on February 25, 2025. One fair divider is located in the community garden of the SLUB's educational sciences branch library, while the second can be found at the skater park on Lingnerallee. The city of Dresden made public space available for this initiative.

The main goal of the fair sharers is to make a contribution to preventing the throwing away of edible food. Under strict hygiene rules, food can be left and removed by others. There are already over 24 fair sharers throughout Dresden, which are operated by the foodsharing Dresden initiative. Hundreds of volunteers work to look after the locations and ensure that the food is edible.

Rules and regulations

The fair dividers are designed so that users can give or take away excess food free of charge. However, they must follow certain rules. For example, long-life foods are allowed, while perishable products such as raw minced meat, fresh salad preparations or homemade creams and mayonnaise are excluded. There are also strict requirements for handing over uncooked eggs: They may only be handed in up to the 28th day after the date of laying.

Users are also asked to pay attention to cleanliness and hygiene. Before using the fair divider, it is advisable to wash your hands and sort and dispose of spoiled food. Allergy sufferers should exercise particular caution when removing food as inadequately labeled products may contain allergens. In order to promote environmentally friendly means of transport at the same time, users are encouraged to use bicycles or the tram, for example.

A community commitment

Johanna Edelmann, research assistant at TUD, was significantly involved in initiating and supervising the project. The aim was to develop eye-catching structures with a high recognition value that not only serve to avoid waste, but also act as meeting places for the community. The initiative is supported by various partners, including foodsharing Dresden, the ZUR TONNE educational project, the SLUB Dresden and the city's Office for Urban Greenery and Waste Management. These collectively funded projects are in line with the national strategy of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), which aims to halve food waste in Germany by 2030.

In Germany, around 10.8 million tonnes of food waste is generated every year, with a significant proportion occurring in private households. The dialogue on food reduction has been promoted through the creation of dialogue forums and collaboration between different actors in the food supply chain. In this context, the promotion of initiatives such as the fair sharers is of central importance in order to conserve resources and make an active contribution to the sustainable use of food.

The fair sharers in Dresden are not only a practical example against food waste, but also a model for collective action and responsible consumer behavior.