Wigan Council and its waste and recycling partner FCC Environment, who operate the three Recycling Centres in the Borough have found a unique way to give items a second chance and to keep items with life left in them in circulation for longer.
The Second Chance Saloon at Slag Lane Recycling Centre in Leigh has been unveiled to offer used items a second chance and to extend their life.
The Saloon encourages people dropping things off to think about whether their items could be put to good use by someone else and the Saloon is also a space where people can donate items for reuse.
The council and FCC teams have a long tradition of reuse at the site, already medical items are collected for cleaning and put back in to circulation, vintage tech is collected for the Northwest Computer Museum, old bicycles are collected for the Wigan Cycle Project and plant pots have been reborn as four recycled plastic park benches which have been donated to the community.
Tracy Roe, FCC Environment Area Supervisor said “We already do so much at our three sites to prevent waste being created in the first place and the public are always really interested to learn how much of their stuff could go on to have a second life, so it made sense to give residents an inspirational place to bring their items to.
“The Second Chance Saloons are the first of a kind and are made entirely from materials on the site. We hope the drop off points encourage more reuse in Wigan with items going on to have new lives and we hope in turn this makes people think a little more about recycling.”
Councillor Paul Prescott, cabinet portfolio holder for planning, environmental services and transport said “The Second Chance Saloon has already been really popular with residents with items such as picture frames, to children’s toys to garden tools all dropped off for reuse.
“It is an innovative and eye-catching way of encouraging people to donate items instead of just throw them away, and the fact it has been made by items on site at Slag Lane is the cherry on top.
“Reuse is a key part of sustainability; by reusing more of what we already have, we can use less of the planet’s resources, use less energy, create fewer emissions, and given once-loved items another lease of life.
“I am really proud that we have introduced this fantastic initiative and are already extending it, with another Saloon being built at Chanters Recycling Centre.”
Wigan’s Recycling Centres are located at:
- Kirkless, Makerfield Way, Higher Ince, WN2 2PR,
- Slag Lane, Leigh, WA3 1BZ
- Chanters Industrial Estate, Atherton, M46 9BP
