• More than £1m raised by Greater Manchester residents through Renew scheme
• Shopping at Renew helps to raise funds for local communities across Greater Manchester
• Renew opened its first three shops in 2021, before opening online to raise more money for good causes
Greater Manchester residents have raised more than £1million for local good causes by donating their unwanted household items and buying second hand instead of new through the Renew project.
The Renew scheme – which launched in 2021 as three shops based at recycling centres in Altrincham, Irlam and Oldham – sells items, from bikes to white goods, donated by residents at their local recycling centres. By reusing these items, the project not only saves them from going to waste, but in turn creates a source of good quality second hand products for a fraction of the price of new ones, helping residents to save money during the cost-of-living crisis.
The money raised in the shops, and now online through the eBay store, is channelled into the Recycle for Greater Manchester Community Fund and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. Through the Community Fund, 66 projects across the city-region have received a total of £660,000, with a further £300,000 donated to the Mayor’s Charity to combat homelessness across the city-region.
Community Fund projects combine creative ways of increasing recycling through community-led activities and programmes, such as repair cafes, composting workshops, textile upcycling, cookery courses and even a podcast.
Rachel Parkinson, from Humans MCR, said: “This fund is so vital in the success and continuation of our Community Grocers on-wheels project. The project takes food that would otherwise go to waste, and redistributes it to those in our communities who are struggling to afford their weekly food shop with rising supermarket prices.
“We know that the climate crisis and food poverty are such pressing issues at the moment, which is why we are taking a two-pronged approach by reducing waste and hunger one delivery at a time.”
The Renew Hub, operated by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK as part of the GMCA waste contract, has its central location in Trafford Park for sorting, repairing and upcycling the hundreds of tonnes of donations that come in from the 20 recycling centres across Greater Manchester. SUEZ have created new green jobs in the waste sector as a result of this, including retail, visual merchandising, and interior design, as well as recently employing two new furniture restoration apprentices, who will receive on the job training to upcycle and repair pre-loved items.
Dan Carolan, SUEZ Greater Manchester Contract Director, said: “It is a fantastic achievement to reach £1m in revenue since the Renew project launched. I’d like to thank Greater Manchester residents for donating items and shopping with Renew, as without their support none of this would be possible.”
Fran Darlington-Pollock, Chief Executive from Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, said: “Every time someone in Greater Manchester donates goods into Renew, or purchases from them, they are playing their part in a collective mission to tackle homelessness and end the need for rough sleeping.
“Without this support Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity would not be where we are today. We offer a lifeline to so many charities working with people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping, and those charities are themselves a lifeline that cannot be lost.”
Cllr Tom Ross, GMCA lead for the Environment, Waste and Recycling, said: “Greater Manchester is leading the way as we shift our mindset from seeing the things we no longer want as waste, and instead as a valuable resource that can be reused, repurposed or recycled.
“Greater Manchester residents have been instrumental in the success of the Renew project and with their help, I believe we can build a thriving, green and sustainable economy for the future.”
The scheme depends on Greater Manchester residents donating items at their local recycling centres and shopping at Renew in store and online. Christmas is a key time of year for Renew and the charities it supports, and Greater Manchester residents can continue to support the success of Renew by donating at their local recycling centre.
They can also shop at one of the three locations:
Woodhouse Lane Recycling Centre:
Woodhouse Lane, Altrincham, WA14 5TB
Arkwright Street Recycling Centre:
Arkwright Street, Oldham, OL9 9LZ
Boysnope Wharf Recycling Centre:
Liverpool Road, Eccles, M30 7RH
Or shop click and collect by visiting:
The eBay page for vintage and upcycled items: Ebay.co.uk/str/renewgreatermanchester
The online shop for affordable everyday items: renewgreatermanchester.com
