GMCA hails impact of ‘Renew Hub’

The reuse project has been undertaken in partnership with the GMCA’s waste contractor Suez and was launched in July 2021.

The authority said that among the items sold in the Hub’s first year are 1,984 electronic items, 953 bikes, 745 pieces of soft furniture and 5,287 pieces of hard furniture.

Project

The facility, based at Trafford Park in Greater Manchester, will also now launch an online shop selling unique pieces of furniture and antiques which have been donate.

The GMCA explained that items are donated or set aside at Greater Manchester’s household waste recycling centres (HWRCs), refurbished at The Hub, then resold online and at three shops located at HWRCs in Oldham, Salford, and Trafford.

All proceeds from sales go towards the Recycle for Greater Manchester Community Fund and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, the GMCA added.

Additionally, the facility is set to welcome visitors as a community space, education facility and event venue in the coming months.

The project is said to have provided 20 new jobs in the green sector. It is also supporting many schemes, including a programme with Recycling Lives, a charity with an aim of reducing homelessness and reoffending by supporting men and women into stable housing and employment.

We need to be thinking about the things we throw away

– Cllr Martyn Cox, GMCA

‘Circular economy’

Cllr Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for the green city-region and waste and recycling, said: “We need to be thinking about the things we throw away, and the Hub proves that much of what you think is irreparable can actually be repaired.

“That ethos of a more circular economy doesn’t just mean cutting waste and reusing items, but also making sure that what happens at the Hub benefits people and projects here in Greater Manchester.

“We’re supporting charities and community groups that are rehoming people in need, providing quality goods that actually have a long life left in them, and our shops are offering an alternative to expensive new products for local residents to access.”