Reuse at Bristol Waste
Our award-winning reuse team have been very busy over the past few years. Find out more.
Reuse at Bristol Waste
At Bristol Waste, we have a clear opportunity we have to divert good condition, fit-for-purpose items from the waste stream and get them into the hands of people who can use them.
Since our founding, reuse has been a key part of our vision. Our reuse team has established relationships with partners who can take items from our recycling centres, refurbish them and put them back into the community and into use.
In June 2020 we opened our first reuse shop in our Avonmouth Reuse and Recycling Centre. A second shop is planned at our third Reuse and Recycling site in South Bristol. By opening these shops for the residents of Bristol and beyond, we believe we have improved upon the great work already started by reuse-focused organisations in Bristol.
Our award-winning reuse team
In October 2018, only seven months after our projects began, the reuse team was delighted to have been awarded Best Waste Minimisation or Prevention Project by the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) for their work diverting various types of reusable items from the waste stream.
Our brand new reuse shop
Our brand-new reuse shop is open at Avonmouth Recycling Centre, filled with low cost goods, from TV's to toys and furniture to vacuums – all diverted from the waste stream! Open Monday to Friday between 10am and 3pm. All items for sale have been saved from going to waste, with the income generated used to fund and further develop the company's reuse work, and a percentage donated to local charities.
How to donate items
You can drop items off either of our Recycling Centres (St Phillips or Avonmouth HRRC), just let a member of staff know the item is for reuse and we will put it to one side.
If you’re coming to Avonmouth HRRC then please bring items to the Reuse Drop Off Point (on the lower level) so we can get your items inside quickly.
What we sell
We sell everything from wooden tables and chairs to TVs and game consoles. Our stock is made up of items saved from the scrap heap at our Recycling Centres in St Phillips and Avonmouth. The money raised from selling the items goes back into Reuse at Bristol Waste Company, and a third of the profit goes to charity. So whether you’re buying items or donating items you’re helping Bristol Waste nothing and supporting amazing charities.
Which items to donate
We take electrical items which are in working order, at the moment we cannot do repairs on items which don’t work. We PAT test all electrical items and function test too – this ensures items are safe to use and in good working order. Any furniture with fabric upholstery must have a fire label attached for us to be able to sell it.
Please check with a member of staff first, but the types of things we accept are:
- Wooden furniture (we don’t accept flat pack furniture if it’s been taken apart)
- Tables
- Chairs
- Trunks
- Chest of drawers
- Wardrobes
- Armchairs and sofas (must have a fire label)
- Vacuums
- TVs (ideally with the remote/power lead)
- Amps/sound equipment/speakers
- Record players
- Lamps/lights
- Mirrors
- Bric-a-brac
- Crockery
- Ornaments
- Clocks
- Children’s toys and games
Visit us
Reuse Shop
Avonmouth HRRC
Kings Weston Lane
Avonmouth
Bristol
BS11 0YS
Opening hours
We will be trialling opening hours while we find our way and settle into shop life. We are currently open Monday – Friday 10am to 3pm.
The shop has it’s own entrance and parking, so you can make a visit without visiting the Recycling Centre. If there is a queue for the Recycling Centre, you can make yourself known to a member of staff at the site, or phone 0117 304 9590, to be directed straight to the shop. Please note that you cannot access the Recycling Centre from the shop, so if you are visiting both, you may choose to use the Recycling Centre first.
The shop is open to non-Bristol residents and the current number plate system that is running at our recycling centres does not apply to people visiting the reuse shop.
Do you want to help make reuse a success?
We are always looking for volunteers to help in the Reuse Shop, so if you’re keen to give some of your time and energy, please complete the short form on the link below and we will be in touch. There’s a range of roles from function testing electrical items to upcycling wooden furniture or helping out on the shop floor, if you think you’ve got a skill you’d like to offer please tell us. We can help with travel expenses. For more details download this job description and to apply, click on the link below to tell us about yourself.
Reuse volunteer roles