Books and groceries: His closet doesn't just save groceries

Created: 01/21/2022 11:29 am

It used to be a wardrobe: Moritz Erken in front of his self-made Fairteiler wardrobe (food on the left, objects on the right) at Zugspitzstrasse 19. © HK

Eichenauer Moritz Erken has built a very special cupboard: This should help to conserve resources - and thus the environment.

On one side you can pick up groceries, on the other books.

Eichenau – sharing, swapping, donating, taking, giving away – this is another way of summarizing the idea that Moritz Erken packed into his so-called fair divider cupboard at Zugspitzstraße 19: food is stored on the left, books, games and cups on the right.

But you can also describe it as a mixture of book stop and food saver.

The 26-year-old has combined well-known ideas and concepts.

"I've known that for a long time from larger cities.

That's why I thought, why not in a community like Eichenau.” No sooner said than done.

What used to serve well as a wardrobe was rebuilt by Erken himself, freshly painted and fitted with new sliding doors.

And on the home garden fence - within the property - a suitable and freely accessible place was also found very quickly, where the decorative two-meter-high part was given a location that attracted the public.

And it works.

Word got around after just a week.

Walkers or neighbors would stop again and again, take something out or just take a look inside.

Erken also does this regularly because of the food.

Some control is necessary

You have to check a little whether everything is packed correctly and whether you pay attention to the best-before and use-by dates.

Dry goods, fruit, vegetables, bread, mushrooms and drinks are things that Erken would like to see in his fair divider cabinet.

If you are unsure, you can read on a board what is allowed.

“Only put food in it that you would eat yourself,” it says.

The same applies to the right part of the cupboard, the so-called free shop.

"Only share items that are still usable." Anything that ends up in the garbage or is broken is taboo.

It takes a certain amount of trust in people to put an idea like the Fairteiler cabinet into practice.

Too much is thrown away

Thanks to his degree in agriculture, the 26-year-old Eichenauer is more or less predisposed when it comes to food - which he admits without any ifs or buts. "Too much is thrown away too quickly," he explains quite spiritedly. That's why he wants to try to at least do something to counteract this. Erken doesn't want to talk about "setting an example". But raising awareness of the food itself and admonishing careful use of resources is something that is close to his heart.

For this reason, the fair divider cabinet should remain in place for an indefinite period of time.

The fact that the piece of furniture on the Zugspitzstrasse is a little off the beaten path is not a problem for Erken.

"People have already taken notice," he says of reactions from social networks.

Countless likes have been collected and again and again it says: "Feel free to share and tell others so that the closet can be used well in the future".

Exchange, donate, take - and don't waste or throw away.