Renew shops selling pre-loved items open in Oldham, Trafford and Salford

Today sees the official launch of three new Renew Shops across Greater Manchester, selling pre-loved household items donated by residents at their local household waste recycling centres.

Based on donations so far, an estimated 600 tonnes will be diverted from waste to recycling each year, reducing energy, carbon and supporting Greater Manchester’s target to be a carbon neutral green city-region by 2038.

Not only will the shops support the environment by finding new homes for items that would have otherwise been sent to waste, they will also support local communities across Greater Manchester with all profits going to good causes. 

Where will the profits go?

Every year £100,000 will go to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, and a minimum of £220,000 to the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) Community Fund focused on reducing waste, increasing recycling and reuse, and adding social value.

This year alone, 21 groups have been successful in receiving money from the R4GM fund, with projects starting this summer covering a whole range of initiatives from community grocer schemes, repaint projects, and upcycling schemes aimed at working with disadvantaged groups to combat social barriers.

The shops themselves form part of a bigger reuse project for SUEZ working in partnership with the GMCA.

A Renew Hub is currently being developed in Trafford Park, which will not only supply the shops and offer a space for online sales, but will also be used to repair and upcycle items allowing the introduction of electrical and white goods. 

SUEZ will work with like-minded businesses and charities to run the repair pods, giving the opportunity to employ and train local people and volunteers in skills for the green economy.

The Hub will also include a multi-functional event and community space, and a visitor experience run by the R4GM education team delivering sessions focusing on reduce, reuse and recycle.

Already, the creation of the shops and the development of the Hub have resulted in 10 new roles with many more opportunities to come.

‘A different way of doing things’

“This is a brilliant thing to celebrate this morning,” Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.

“There’s a win-win here on lots of levels, in terms of benefit to people in Greater Manchester and to our communities.

“It’s a really innovative approach that’s being taken here by SUEZ in partnership with our Waste team.

“We’ve got a really good partner here in Greater Manchester working with us as we rise to the climate challenge.

“We have had a bit of a throwaway culture in society.

“I think this is really important – it’s about telling people we should always recycle, and in doing so we can create jobs, we can create value, you can support people who need help.

“It’s a different way of doing things.”

Where are the Renew shops?

There are three Renew shops, located in Oldham, Salford and Trafford, open seven days a week which are card payment only.

Items can be reserved for a 24 hour period and residents can also leave their contact details if they are looking for particular items.

The stores can be found at: Woodhouse Lane Recycling Centre, Altrincham, WA14 5TB; Arkwright Street, Oldham, OL9 9LZ (entrance second left after the recycling centre); and Boysnope Wharf Recycling Centre Liverpool Road, Eccles, M30 7RH.

Tuesday to Thursday (inclusive) the shops will be open 10am – 4pm; Friday to Monday (inclusive) the shops will be open 10am-6pm.

Donation containers are currently located at 15 household waste recycling centres, with items currently accepted including furniture, toys, bric-a-brac, hand tools, collectables, sports equipment and garden equipment. More information can be found at recycleforgreatermanchester.com/renew.