Ipswich Re-use shop returns to Foxhall Recycling Centre

A popular shop selling items diverted from Suffolk’s recycling centres has moved back to its Ipswich home.

The Re-use shop has re-opened at Foxhall Recycling Centre after temporarily relocating as part of a £7.8 million refurbishment of the complex.

The new shop design at Foxhall makes it more accessible for customers and it will be the first thing the public will see when entering the site.

It will have dedicated customer parking and more outside space, along with a canopy.

The shop sells furniture, sports equipment, kitchen supplies, books, toys, and bric-a-brac, collected at the 11 recycling centres across Suffolk and which would otherwise have been disposed of as waste.

Its average footfall was 1,500 a month and since the shop first opened in 2016 it has sold a total of 343,721 items, equivalent to 2,429 tonnes of material.

There is a sister shop at the Bury St Edmunds site.

The shops are run by local charity The Benjamin Foundation, which has been supporting young people in Suffolk and Norfolk for more than 25 years.

“We are keen to encourage reuse and avoid waste, and by purchasing items from the Re-use Shop you not only extend the life and use of something instead of throwing it away you support a local charity undertaking important work throughout Suffolk.”

Paul Sinclair, Operations Manager for The Benjamin Foundation, said:

“We are thrilled to re-open the Ipswich Re-use Shop at the Foxhall Recycling Centre.

“We have loved our temporary home in the town centre at The Ancient House, which has been a fabulous opportunity to meet new people and tell them more about the vital work of The Benjamin Foundation in Suffolk and Norfolk.

“We hope that many more people will visit Ipswich Re-use Shop back at Foxhall Recycling Centre, which provides a vital source of income to support local children, young people and families.”

Paul Smith, Contract Manager at FCC Environment said:

“We are delighted to have re-opened the shop and to celebrate with all the organisations which have worked hard to redevelop this fantastic space as part of a major overhaul of the Foxhall Recycling Centre.

“Re-use shops like this one really do drive waste up the waste hierarchy, keeping items with life left in them in circulation for much longer. Moreover, the profits resulting from this endeavour genuinely do go to a good cause.

“I am delighted to help reopen the shop and I hope its success continues for many years to come in this improved environment.”