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Norfolk opens 100-tonne reuse shop

Norfolk county council opened a 116 square metre reuse shop last week (10 February), which it says will prevent more than 100 tonnes of waste per year.

(l-r) Karen Betts (reuse manager), Cllr Andy Grant (Norfolk council cabinet member), and Jenny Cross (waste reduction officer)

The shop is the second opened by the county, and will operate at the Norwich North recycling centre.

Cllr Andy Grant, Norfolk county council cabinet member for environment and waste, said: “Quite simply Norfolk’s reuse shops cut waste.

“We are all increasingly mindful of the impact we as consumers have on the planet so I’m very proud that since the county council opened our first reuse shop at King’s Lynn recycling centre in 2008 the shops have helped prevent up to 1,000 tonnes of quality second-hand items from being thrown away every year.

“I’d urge people to come along and browse, or donate, and you never know what bargains you may find.”

This reuse shop will further support efforts  to reuse and recycle even more

  • Norfolk county councillor

Donations

The county council’s reuse shops welcome donations of “good quality” second-hand pieces and sell these on at “car boot prices”.

The council says this will help reduce the amount of unwanted items going to waste and the income from sales in the shops “helps to offset the cost of providing the recycling centre service”.

Cllr Dan Roper, county councillor for the Hevingham and Spixworth Division, added: “This excellent new reuse shop is set to further support efforts of local people to reuse and recycle even more.

“I’d like to thank the recycling team and site staff for their great work on this project, and I’m sure the chance to bag a bargain while giving an unwanted item a new home is going to prove very popular.”

Since April 2018, Norfolk’s reuse shops have been donating a proportion of their income to the current chosen charity, the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Norse

All Norfolk’s 20 recycling centres are operated by Norse Environmental Waste Services (NEWS), part of the Norse Group.

NEWS operations director, Dave Newell, said: “Norse is always pleased to do all it can to help protect the environment and so we are thrilled to see the opening of the new reuse shop at the Norwich North recycling centre.

“Encouraging people to reuse unwanted items is an essential part of the drive to minimise waste and raising money for charity at the same time just makes this all the more worthwhile.”

Norfolk council recorded a 42.1% recycling rate in 2020/21, generating 447kg of waste per person.

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