Tyseley’s Reuse Shop has officially opened to the public after a ribbon-cutting ceremony including Councillor John O’Shea, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Parks.
Cllr John O’Shea cuts a ribbon
Birmingham City Council and Veolia are working in partnership with Community Reuse to offer Birmingham residents a place to give their pre-loved furniture, household electricals and even bicycles a new lease of life.
Residents can bring unwanted items that are still in working order or in a repairable condition to donation areas set up at recycling centres. The Reuse Shop collects these pre-loved items, checking to ensure they are suitable for reuse before onward sale in the shop. All electrical items are PAT tested and sold with a warranty.
As well as running the reuse shop, Community Reuse contributes to bicycle repair workshops with the help of community interest company, Circle Round. Circle Round offers these workshops to teach cyclists basic repair skills in order to encourage more people to cycle where they would normally drive or use other modes of transport, helping to reduce carbon emissions in the city.
A bike workshop will be open to the public on Saturday 25 September from 9am-3pm. Future ad hoc workshops will take place over the course of the year. Look out for updates on the Reuse Shop Facebook page.
Steve Bell from Community Reuse said: “It’s great to officially open the Reuse Shop to the public to give products a new lease of life. We’re also really excited to deliver the first cycle repair workshop with Circle Round. Coming up to Christmas, families will be looking to source bikes for the younger members of the family. We want to remind parents and guardians that there are lots of bikes in full working condition that have been pre-loved but still have a lot of life still in them and to come along whilst also supporting low-income families in the community. We are proud to work with Veolia and Birmingham City Council to share this opportunity with Birmingham residents.”
Mark Powell, General Manager at Veolia in Birmingham, said: “We’re pleased to continue working with Community Reuse to offer Birmingham residents the opportunity to reuse pre-loved items before considering other less sustainable options. As well as items for reuse, residents are now able to bring a whole host of products to the local recycling centres, from garden tools to household appliances and even lawnmowers. The cycle workshops will also help educate both keen and new cyclers how to carry out simple repairs in order to prolong the life of their bicycles.”
Councillor John O’Shea, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Parks at Birmingham City Council said: “We’re proud to officially open the Reuse Shop in Tyseley to the Birmingham residents so they can easily donate their unwanted items for reuse by others. We all have to do as much as we can to reduce the amount of waste we produce and reuse what already exists so that we can have a greener city and planet.”