Pop-up re-use shop for tidy tip

Eaton Green Tidy Tip will host Luton’s first pop-up re-use shop on Saturday 1st of July.

The shop will sell pre-owned goods donated at the town’s recycling centres, with homeware, toys, games and DVDs at bargain prices. All proceeds from sales will go towards local charities, raising money while reducing waste and carbon emissions.

The pop-up, which is run by Luton Council in partnership with FCC Environment, will be open from 10am to 3pm. Potential visitors might want to note that, as usual on the tidy tip, there is no pedestrian access.

Re-use is at the top of the waste hierarchy and the best thing to do with unwanted items. Along with charity shops, passing things on to friends and neighbours, or websites such as Freecycle, items can always be donated at recycling centres. To donate an item, just talk to the site operatives. Not everyone knows that things can be donated in this way, so the pop-up shop should raise awareness of re-use at recycling centres.

The pop-up shop is a first for Luton, and will be open for just one day. Other towns and cities have created more permanent shops, with Manchester’s Renew Hub being perhaps the most ambitious. Luton doesn’t have the size and scope to support a major project like Manchester’s, but hopefully the re-use pop-up is a sign of the re-use revolution to come.

The Eaton Green Tidy Tip is on Eaton Green Road, just round the corner from Asda. LU2 9RT.