Reuse shop opens third branch in Bristol for unwanted Christmas gifts

Bristol Waste said people should re-gift unwanted items this Christmas or drop them off at the reuse shop

A waste company is planning to open its third reuse shop to help reduce the amount of waste created during and after the Christmas period.

Bristol Waste has opened two shops in Avonmouth and St Phillips and is set to open a third in Hartcliffe in spring.

According to the group, waste increases by 20 percent over Christmas and has risen in general during the pandemic.

A Bristol Waste volunteer said people could try changing their "Christmas rituals" to support the reuse economy.

The two "treasure trove" reuse shops were opened during the pandemic.

A third reuse shop will be opened in 2022

Ms Bloomfield said she hoped people changed some of their shopping habits at Christmas to reduce their carbon footprint

Avonmouth reuse shop volunteer, Barbara Bloomfield, bought all of her presents from the shop for £15 and said she was passionate about "not buying things I don't need".

"I wanted to do a tiny bit for the waste economy," she said.

"Every Christmas we are giving millions of pounds of unwanted gifts.

"Really, there is something you can do about that, you can just make something for people and people love it.

"I understand that some people really want their kids to have new things.

"Before you do anything, look through the lens of changing your rituals.

"We have used a Christmas tree in a pot for ten years now and that's saved us quite a lot of money every year."

Waste in Bristol increases by 20 percent during the festive period

The reuse shop upcycles and resells unwanted items

Bristol Waste shared a few tips to save waste during and after the Christmas period:

• Buy what you like instead of novelty items

• Plan what food you will use and when

• Think about what food you can freeze

• Use brown parcel paper or magazine pages for wrapping presents

A Bristol Waste spokeswoman said: "Wrapping paper can confuse people.

"In Bristol we can't recycle wrapping paper because it's normally covered in a film or glitter. That's why we advise to use brown paper instead.

"When the shops open back up after Christmas on the 5 January you can go in to drop off your unwanted items and we'll find them a new home."

All profits raised from the shop will go towards a reuse scheme to perform safety tests on electrical items.