Renew is Greater Manchester’s reuse initiative – the largest of its kind in the country, Renew takes donations made by residents at recycling centres across Greater Manchester, these items are then cleaned, fixed and upcycledready for resale via the Renew shops and online.All of the items you see for sale at the Renew shops or online would otherwise have gone to waste. By rescuing it and putting it back into use, we’re capturing key resources. Money raised from these sales fund the Renew community fund  it also supports good causes across Greater Manchester. For more information and to shop online Renew – Greater Manchester | Donate & Buy Pre-Loved Items | R4GM

We are encouraging more projects that focus on repair and reuse. When we fix something, borrow something, or buy second hand instead of new, we’re keeping existing items in use. Making new things involves mining or harvesting raw materials which damages our environment. Keeping things in use means we need less raw materials, which lessens the impact on our environment. 

For example, instead of throwing away an old chair, you could give it away or sell it to someone who needs it or paint it a different colour it so it feels new again. 

Even something as simple as changing a fuse in a plug or replacing a zip on a backpack counts.

These activities are different to recycling as the original item is kept in use. With recycling, items are broken down back into their raw materials to become new items. This process uses much more energy and resources than if we just kept the item in use. 

Repair and reuse is much more effective at reducing carbon emissions than recycling alone, as it prevents the emissions from happening in the first place. 

In Greater Manchester, most of us understand why it is important to recycle and how to do this properly. We want repair and reuse to become a part of daily life, just like recycling. 

We want the fund to have the most impact possible, encouraging long-term, positive behaviour change in the communities involved in the projects we support. 

We want projects that help to make fixing, donating, sharing, borrowing and buying pre-loved a normal part of everyday life. 

With this in mind, we will be prioritising projects that encourage these activities. Other projects that encourage recycling and support local communities. may still receive funding, but they may not be scored as highly.  

There are many benefits, including:

• The opportunity to learn new skills
• Develop new hobbies
• Connect with others around them
• Improve mental wellbeing
• Save money!

Each application is scored on its individual merit and the scoring process is  outlined in the guidance (insert link)

There are lots of examples of previous projects that are a great fit for the fund. 

• Sustainable Living in the Heatons: Repair Café
• Levenshulme Old Library: Library of Things
• Little Green Sock Project
• Stitched Up: Fashion Flip
• Caritas Compost Club
• Manchester Cycling Academy: Cycle Revival

These things encourage long term behaviour change.

No. The fund is still open to:

• Registered Charity (charity number must be provided)
• Not-for-profit organisation (defined as a registered legal entity that does not make a private profit for directors, members, or shareholders)
• Non- Registered Community or Voluntary Group – with a constitution and a group bank account
• Faith group delivering community work
• School, College or University

We will be hosting online application workshops for anyone interested in finding out more about the fund, here we will talk through the application process and help answer any of your questions.