The North London reuse shop – which is operated by Energy from Waste (EfW) company LondonEnergy – said that it hopes to help residents find last-minute Christmas gift ideas and find “a sustainable way to shop for their families and loved ones”.
The ReUse Shop sales assistant, Lisa Charlton, said: “We love helping local residents find creative and cost-effective gift ideas at this time of year, and this promotion is really going to help us do that. The variety of toys and books we receive in-store is amazing—so there genuinely is something for everyone. What’s more, every gift bought in-store helps us reduce waste and protect the planet’s natural resources, so you are truly helping to deliver a sustainable Christmas.”
The ReUse Shop can be found at the ReUse and Recycling Centre, 48 Kings Road, Chingford, E4 7HR and is open Wednesday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm.
Members of the public who would like to donate can bring their contributions to the store itself or any of the six other ReUse and recycling centres operated by LondonEnergy across North London.
The donations are sorted by LondonEnergy’s team before being delivered to the ReUse Shop in the company’s electric van. Once received at the shop, books, toys and other goods are subject to a final check before being priced and displayed for customers to purchase.
There has been a growing trend towards reuse this year, alongside encouragements for people to “buy less” in general. In November, Keep Britain Tidy started a campaign to boycott Black Friday – which it said “promotes excessive consumption”.
The charity’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “The waste our nation generates is a huge issue all year round, but is exacerbated at this time of year, as seemingly large discounts persuade people to buy items they don’t need and can’t always afford.
“The public are awakening to the idea that this level of consumerism is environmentally and economically unsustainable. Today’s figures show that people are ready take up the challenge to ‘buy nothing new’ for a month – and that could make all the difference to our planet.”
Subscribe for free