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Second hand shops open at Cornwall's rubbish tips

David Dixon
BBC News Cornwall
BBC Bright green shipping container full of stuff for sale at Dump in Falmouth. A sign on the building reads 'Kernow Reuse Shop - pre-loved furniture and homewear. Two bikes and three scooters plus a bike trailer are stood up outside the container to the right of a white uPVC patio door leading inside.BBC
The brightly-coloured repurposed shipping containers are now open at four sites in Cornwall

Reuse shops have opened at four Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across Cornwall.

A change in the rules means household items can now be sold if they are in good enough condition.

The shops have opened at the sites run by waste contractor Suez at Truro, St Austell, Falmouth and United Downs, near Redruth, with more to follow later this year.

Cornwall Council's waste leader Carol Mould said: "This great initiative is all about preventing waste and giving pre-loved items a new lease of life."

Nine people in orange high-vis coats and three people in black stand outside the entrance to the re-purposed shipping container under two large white, blue and lime green umbrellas. A green plastic sled and the bottom of two fire extinguishers are propped against the building to the left of the group of people.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at Longdowns recycling centre near Falmouth

Carol Mould, the council's portfolio holder for neighbourhoods, said: "Initially Suez use the money they get from the shops to recoup the set-up costs and then it will go on and be cost neutral."

The community engagement team lead for waste at Cornwall Council, Esther O'Bearagh said it was an exciting change.

"People have been asking for ages why we don't do this and there are some very good reasons but now we've made some changes and now we're able to do it," she said.

"Some people are a bit concerned but we're not taking away from charity shops , this is stuff that's been bought to the dump already."

Woman in orange high-vis jacket and black beanie hat with the word Suez on it inside second hand shop at recycling centre. Glass and ceramic items and a mirror are placed on rows of scaffold board shelves.
Inside the shops are designed to have a stripped-back "surf shack" style

Speaking at the opening event for the Longdowns site near Falmouth, Becky Parry from Suez, who runs the shops, said there had been a great response to the initiative.

"We get everything from wine glasses to vases, plates and crockery and pots and pans which are really popular with the students in Falmouth," she said.

"We also have a large selection of toys and games and kids' items.

"We check them all to make sure they all have a CE mark for safety then we clean them up and put them out.

"Any weird and wonderful things that come in we'll put out on display."

Cornwall Council Skateboards, sports equipment displayed in a shipping container in Truro. The items are displayed on shelving which is scaffold boards held up by scaffolding.Cornwall Council
Skateboards and other bric-a-brac for sale at the Truro site

Cornwall Council said people could drop off pre-loved items for the shops at all of Cornwall's HWRCs.

Donated items will be sold at the Reuse shops or given to charity organisations.

Kernow Reuse shops will be open between 09:00 and 16:00 seven days a week.

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