Croydon’s first ever reuse and recycle shop has opened as COP26 came to an end.

Community Reuse Shop, at Fishers Farm Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC), will sell low-cost, pre-loved goods, like electronics, homeware, books, toys, sports equipment and musical instruments.

The shop is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

All money raised from sales will go towards supporting the shop, which is run in partnership with waste contractor Veolia.

Councillor Muhammad Ali, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Croydon, who opened the shop, said: “As COP26 comes to a close, I am proud to be here to open Croydon’s first Community Reuse Shop at Fishers Farm HWRC.

“‘Reuse’ is just as important as ‘reduce’ and ‘recycle’ – and this new shop is a brilliant example of how we can find innovative ways to shrink our waste footprint by adopting a circular economy model that can have a positive environmental, economic, and social impacts.

“I encourage Croydon residents with goods lying around to bring them by to be donated to this fantastic new shop, and for bargain hunters to come check out all the great merchandise up for sale.”

Scott Edgell, SLWP General Manager at Veolia, said: “The opening of the Community Reuse Shop is a great way for Croydon residents and visitors to give pre-loved items a new lease of life.

“It’s great to recycle but even better to reuse. By reducing and reusing as much waste as possible, we can avoid wasting energy and raw materials in producing new goods and make the most of those with plenty of life still left in them.

“If you are heading to the Fishers Farm HWRC to donate items to the shop, our teams will be happy to point you in the right direction.”

The shop is part of the council’s commitment to climate change and sustainable living.