Mar 10, 2025
Minimizing food waste: TUD students set up two more "JUSTributors" in Dresden
Architecture students at TUD Dresden University of Technology have been busy designing and building food distribution stations as part of their studies, which have been aptly named “JUSTributors” (German: Fairteiler). On February 25, 2025, they were set up at two different locations in Dresden and stocked for the very first time. The "JUSTributors" will play an important role in preventing edible foodstuffs from being thrown away. Food that would otherwise go to waste due to an upcoming vacation, for example, can be deposited in these “JUSTributors," provided that it complies with the defined hygiene rules. Other people can then take this food and save it from being discarded.
Group photo of the students who designed and built the "JUSTributors" as part of their seminar.
One of the two new distribution stations is located in the community garden of the Educational Sciences Branch of the SLUB Library. The second "JUSTributor" was set up at the skate park on Lingnerallee. These public spaces are provided by the state capital of Dresden. The initiative foodsharing Dresden is responsible for operating the food distribution stations. The "JUSTributor" project received EUR 2,500 in prize money from the "eku Future Prize" of the Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture.
Students present their designs as the “JUSTributors” are stocked for the first time.
The "JUSTributors" were developed last semester at TUD’s Chair of Architectural Design and Construction II (Prof. Michael Vaerst). There are already 20 of these distribution stations in Dresden where food is saved from being thrown away. "The problem is that the places are often pretty unspectacular; they simply get lost in the hustle and bustle of the city and are therefore only used by adept food savers," explains Johanna Edelmann, research associate at the Chair of Architectural Design and Construction II, who initiated the "JUSTributor" project and supervised the students in the design and implementation process. "This provided the impetus for the project. We wanted to develop something that stands out and has a striking recognition value."
The new "JUSTributors" are by no means just places to store food. "They are also places for people to come together," says Edelmann.
In addition to foodsharing Dresden, the educational project ZUR TONNE, the SLUB Dresden and the city's Office for Urban Greenery and Waste Management (German: Amt für Stadtgrün und Abfallwirtschaft) were also involved in the development and implementation of these food distribution stations. "People who prefer to share their food instead of throwing it away are making a big contribution to avoiding waste and protecting our climate. This is why the state capital supports every initiative that helps to bring the topic of avoiding food waste directly to its residents," says Dresden's Second Mayor and Councillor for Environmental and Climate, Law and Order Eva Jähingen, welcoming the initiative.
Prof. Michael Vaerst (left) and Johanna Edelmann take a box of food out of the "JUSTributor".
Background information: This is how the "JUSTributors" work:
Hundreds of volunteers in Dresden look after both the existing and the two new distribution stations. They make sure that all the food is still edible and that the containers are in good condition. Food can only be deposited if it hasn't reached the expiry date yet. Dairy products and other perishable foods should not be deposited in the “JUSTributors.” A more detailed version of the rules is also available on the “JUSTributors” themselves.
The students' designs were given the green light by the Veterinary and Food Inspection Office prior to construction.
Contact:
Johanna Edelmann
Research associate
Chair of Architectural Design and Construction II