Rubbish turns to treasure in tip's reuse shop

Claire Rowntree, left, St Vincent's CEO Elizabeth Palmer and manager Donna Scott

A reuse shop at a tip has saved more than 100 tonnes of treasured household items from going to waste.

Revive Sunderland operates from Sunderland's Pallion Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

It encourages people to donate items they would otherwise have thrown away.

Celebrating their first anniversary, the shop has saved more than 3,000 pairs of shoes, more than 700 lamps and nearly 15,000 books.

Revive Sunderland has rescued more than 135,000 items which would otherwise been burned to produce electricity.

Donations have included a Mulberry handbag, Barbour coats and Ercol furniture.

Revive Sunderland is open seven days a week

Donna Scott, the shop's manager, said it has "sold thousands of items and helped a lot of people in our community".

All proceeds go to St Vincent de Paul's Society for England and Wales (SVP), who offer befriending services, debt advice and emergency food parcels.

Elizabeth Palmer, its chief executive, thanked everyone who made the first year a success.

"Revive Sunderland has shown that by donating pre-loved items that would otherwise have been destined for waste, we can raise vital funds for the SVP to support our work in local communities," she said.

Claire Rowntree, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for Clean, Green City at Sunderland City Council, said: “It's brilliant to see the shop becoming so popular and so many shoes, books and items that people no longer have a use for being recycled and resold at affordable prices."