Bargain hunters across Greater Manchester are able to pick-up pre-loved items, help the environment and contribute to a great cause this summer as the city-region’s unique Renew shops have extended their opening hours.
The Renew shops, which sell treasures rescued from being treated as waste, are now open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Sunday, with a short lunch break closure between 12.30pm and 1pm. This means that planet-friendly shoppers will now have an extra 13 hours a week to browse the wide range of items on offer.
The Renew shops are operated by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, as part of their waste contract with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). The shops form part of the larger Renew initiative, which is an ambitious and unique project which aims to create value from waste to benefit Greater Manchester. It is a joint initiative between GMCA and SUEZ, where items are donated then repaired and renewed at the Renew Hub, ready to be sold at affordable prices in the shops and on the eBay site.
All the items on sale at the Renew shops have been donated by residents at the household waste recycling centres across the city-region. The items are cleaned and repaired at the Renew Hub before being handpicked by staff for the shops in Eccles (Boysnope Wharf Recycling Centre, Liverpool Road, Eccles, M30 7RH), Oldham (Arkwright Street, Oldham, OL9 9LZ) and Altrincham (Woodhouse Lane Recycling Centre, Altrincham, WA14 5TB). The shops stock a wide variety of donated homeware, garden furniture, toys, sports equipment, books and more.
Since opening in 2021 the shops have sold over 100,000 items, helping to reduce waste, reuse unwanted items, and increase recycling rates. Many of these items donated by residents would have otherwise gone to waste.
The money raised by the Renew shops helps to support good causes across Greater Manchester. SUEZ has made a commitment to donate £100,000 a year to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, which is working to end homelessness, and £220,000 a year to the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) Community Fund, which supports environmentally focused projects for community groups, schools, and charities.
Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council and Greater Manchester lead for Green City Region, Waste and Recycling said:
“With the Renew shops extending their opening hours there is more opportunity for Greater Manchester residents to buy amazing, affordable items, while giving something back to the community at the same time.
“The Renew shops are an excellent example of the kind of sustainable future we’re working towards in Greater Manchester, they are giving people the opportunity to buy and reuse preloved items that still have plenty of life left in them.”
Claire Williams, Renew Manager for SUEZ in Greater Manchester said:
“We are delighted to be extending the opening hours of our Renew Shops. This will make it even easier for people to find great quality, affordable items, help us to reduce waste and support good causes across Greater Manchester.”
