Penallta Reuse Shop opened in October 2022, in partnership with South Wales based charity Wastesavers Charitable Trust, providing an opportunity for items once destined for the household recycling centre to be reused and sold at bargain prices.

Since opening, it has successfully diverted over 115 tons of items from the waste stream and transferred them to new owners.

While offering pre-loved items at good prices, the shop has also joined forces with local projects and charities to offer community projects such as its partnership with mental health charity Growing Space to run a recycling programme that delivers new skills, employment support and volunteer opportunities for residents across the borough, and its recent partnership with Caerphilly Uniform Exchange to offer pre-loved school uniforms to local residents free of charge.

“We opened Penallta Reuse Shop as the next step in our journey to becoming a carbon neutral authority, but also because of the social and economic benefits that reuse has on a community,” said councillor Chris Morgan. “Those benefits have been clearly demonstrated Shop this year, and we can’t wait to see what it is able to achieve in future years.

“I would like to thank all of those involved in this project, from the residents donating their items, shoppers, our dedicated waste team and the committed volunteers – you have all played a part in hitting this fantastic milestone.”

“The Reuse Shop at Penallta has been a great success in its first 12 months, providing local community environmental, social and economic benefits,” added Wastesavers charity manager Alun Harries “It’s been a hugely positive experience working with Caerphilly County Borough Council to set up and run the shop and work towards the Welsh Government’s ‘Beyond Recycling’ strategy. We are delighted that the partnership will be offering other services for repair and reuse in the coming months as part of this.”

www.caerphilly.gov.uk