Launched in 2018, Recyclerie des Moulins has successfully transformed a whole district of the popular coastal city on the Cote d’ Azur. The initiative is largely based on recycling and breathing new life to old and faulty items. However, this ambitious initiative stretches much further and brilliantly combines the project’s three main pillars: waste reduction, social improvement and solidarity economy. 

Currently, our societies are dominated by the linear economy in which goods are extracted, produced, consumed and discarded. The circular economy offers a more sustainable model of production and consumption in which raw materials are retained in production cycles longer and can be reused multiple times. The concept is inspired by nature, where everything that has worth and is utilised, and waste is easily transformed into a new resource.

The central space of the Recyclerie des Moulins covers the area of 194 square meters where residents are able to bring their defective items or anything they no longer wish to use. In a special workshop, these items are then recovered, repaired or restored. According to Eurocities, almost 16 tons of old items were restored and sold here while 190 that couldn’t serve their old purpose were turned into other objects. Recovered objects are sold at a special store located just next to the workshop. They are sold at very affordable prices and are mostly bought by the residents of Les Moulins.

Les Moulins’ endeavours were officially recognized at this year’s Eurocities Awards held in Leipzig. Recyclerie des Moulins initiative won the award in the ‘zero pollution’ category. According to the panel of expert judges, Nice’s district deserved to take the trophy home for its extraordinary commitment to this year’s theme, ‘The power of cities – transforming society’.

Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi stated: “This European recognition has consecrated a project that is emblematic of the success of our ambitious urban renewal policy, carried out as closely as possible to residents’ needs.”

Recyclerie also serves as an educational space to enhance community awareness about the topics of environmental issues and sustainability. Various workshops are regularly attended by Les Moulins residents of all ages.

Furthermore, Recyclerie functions as a social aggregator in this neighbourhood. More than 2800 participants per year take part in various activities in relation to the project, according to the city of Nice officials. In addition to its core activities, Recyclerie offers people paid work and individual training in different circular economy sectors. It promotes the establishment of a new, more inventive, and competitive industrial model, as well as increased economic growth and employment.

According to the 2021 Circularity Gap Report, the world economy is only 8.6% circular. An ambitious goal has been set to bring the percentage up to 17% by 2030, mostly by focusing on sectors with high change potential. With local governments becoming more aware of the importance of sustainability, it remains to be seen which other European cities will soon try out this revolutionary concept.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Five years later, Schreier went back to local elections. This time, he attempted to become a mayor in his hometown of Stuttgart, which is Germany’s 6th largest city by population. Schreier was drawn back to his hometown, a city where he grew up and attended Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium. However, this time he was less successful and ended up not achieving his goal. He returned to Tengen and continued leading the town for another mandate.

Schreier was a student  of the Master of Public Policy’s initial class of the Blavatnik School of Government. The department is one of the University of Oxford’s newest and most vibrant ones. The young mayor emphasized the program gave him the knowledge and abilities he needed to conduct a successful campaign, and that he continued to apply the gained knowledge. He found the MPP’s focus on applied policy to be one of the features that set it apart from other programs he had looked into.

The opportunity to operate in a more direct kind of politics prompted his eventual switch to municipal politics. In March 2020, the whole world was brought to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic. Workers were losing their jobs, healthcare systems were under strain, and local companies were at risk of permanent closure as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread and people were compelled to stay at home. Effective local policies were needed more than ever in recent history.

Schreier was particularly interested in the link between science and public policy during his master studies. The ongoing health crises proved the importance of relying on scientific methods in the challenges our societies face nowadays. Mayors all around the world have played an important role in ensuring the safety of their communities. With his refreshing approach, Schreier was able to handle the pandemic in Tengen.

A mayor must be able to sway others and foresee the positive and negative consequences of future decisions and acts. It’s also necessary to be able to show respect for different points of view and analyze numerous aspects of complex topics. The appointment of Schreier was therefore a fantastic thing for the whole generation of younger mayors across Europe. The young mayor was able to apply practical knowledge obtained at one of the world’s most prestigious universities and bring it to a town with less than 5,000 residents.

Mayor of Tengen Marian Schreier stated: “The fast-changing nature of the world we live in is particularly challenging because democratic processes are quite slow – they’re not designed to match the speed of events that we are witnessing outside. This is further compounded by resource constraints, both in terms of limited budgets and finite natural resources”. 

Schreier’s inspiring story demonstrates the positive contribution young people make in European cities and proves that their voices certainly deserve to be heard. If given a chance, young mayors can help cities cope with the challenges of the modern day by making progressive, science-based policies.