A newly rebuilt reuse shop in Aberdeen has sold more than 104,000 pre-owned items since opening, helping keep thousands of goods in use and out of landfill.
The Hazlehead Reuse Shop is operated by SUEZ on behalf of Aberdeen City Council and has been upgraded with expanded floor space and increased storage capacity.
The additional space allows the shop to handle larger items, including furniture, while offering residents a wider selection of pre-owned goods.
A second Reuse Shop opened at the Bridge of Don recycling centre in late 2025, giving residents another opportunity to donate and purchase items for reuse.
The two shops have already recorded a 36% increase in the amount of material diverted from waste compared with the same period last year.
That is equivalent to around 4,000 items being diverted from waste every month.
The shops currently employ six full-time staff and are looking to develop partnerships with local community groups.
The partnerships are intended to support skills development while helping strengthen the circular economy in the region.
Money generated by the shops is channelled into the Aberdeen Reuse Community Fund.
The fund supports schools and community groups with environmental improvement projects, allowing money generated through reuse to benefit the wider community.
The Hazlehead site has also benefited from Zero Waste Scotland funding, which has supported improvements to reuse and repair facilities.
The improvements have also allowed the operation to begin repairing items and adding value to goods before they are resold.
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Councillor Ian Yuill, co-leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “The expanded Reuse Shop at Hazlehead is great.
“It helps reduce waste and encourage reuse.
“I was impressed by its wide range of stock when I visited it.
“The improvements at the Hazlehead Reuse Shop, in addition to the new Bridge of Don site, provide a fantastic resource for residents to keep good-quality items in use rather than throwing them away or recycling them.”
Richard Hinchcliffe, regional manager at SUEZ UK, said: “The new and improved reuse and repair spaces supported by the Zero Waste Scotland funding have allowed us to not only expand the items we can capture and resell, preventing more items from going to waste and supporting local communities with quality items at a low cost, but have also allowed us to begin repairing and adding value to items.”
David Gunn, recycling improvement fund manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “The success of Aberdeen's Reuse Shops shows how embedding circularity at a local level can have a positive impact on residents, the environment, and the wider economy.”
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