Birmingham residents will now have the choice to either reuse or recycle when visiting the city’s Household Recycling Centres (HRCs).
A Household Recycling Centre
A new Reuse shop is being located at the Tyseley HRC site from Monday, August 2 and will be run by Community Reuse, an organisation that has successfully operated similar shops in London and Southend.
Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company, which operates the Tyseley site, and Birmingham City Council have been working in partnership with Community Reuse to launch the Reuse Shop in an effort to help reduce waste and give products a new lease of life.
Donation areas will be situated at the Tyseley HRC as well at the Kings Norton and Castle Bromwich HRCs. Residents can drop off items they believe are still in good working condition and suitable for reuse. Community Reuse then takes those unwanted and usable items and refurbishes them to sell to members of the public.
Mark Powell, General Manager at Veolia in Birmingham, said: “We’re very excited to work with Community Reuse and Birmingham City Council to offer residents an opportunity to reuse items before considering other less sustainable options. It’s important we work together to share knowledge of the importance of reducing waste and reusing where possible to preserve the earth’s natural resources and the reuse shop can help with this. There will also be opportunities for Birmingham residents to attend bike repair workshops so they can learn the basics.”
The Reuse Shop will financially contribute to community initiatives such as 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. This will, in turn, help contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the city.
Steve Bell from Community Reuse said: “It’s great to be opening a reuse shop in Tyseley to provide a provision for unwanted items to be given a new lease of life whilst also supporting low-income families in the community. It’s also exciting to work with Veolia and Birmingham City Council to share this opportunity with Birmingham residents.”
Cllr John O’Shea, Cabinet Mmber for Street Scene and Parks at Birmingham City Council said: “We’re proud to support Community Reuse and our waste management partner, Veolia, with the opening of the Reuse Shop at Tyseley and encourage Birmingham residents to consider greener options when considering the next steps for items they no longer use. The Reuse Shop is a great way to give unused items a second chance instead of being disposed of.”