We’ve recently opened our 22nd charity shop in Brixton, and this one is extra special. It was important to us to reuse and recycle as many items as possible, and that included working with local business, Inuse Reuse, for furnishings around the shop.

Hear more from Dennis, Founder of Inuse and Reuse, and how he’s partnered with Trinity.

Tell us about Inuse Reuse:

Reclaimed, Recycled, Reloved. We are on a mission to increase wood recycling, provide access to reclaimed materials for DIY & and trade projects and connect local communities to sustainability. InUse ReUse was formed from a local need to find alternative solutions for discarded pallets within the Brixton market. But we’ve now expanded into upcycling other reclaimed materials for lots of different projects. To date, InUse ReUse has collected and redistributed over 14,000 pallets, recycled 25 tonnes of wood waste, and utilised over 700 pallets for indoor and outdoor production projects since 2019.

Where do you get your materials from? 

Our primary source of materials is generated via Brixton market through discarded pallets. Our other alternative source for materials comes from construction sites and other reclaimed wood merchants. We are keen to develop the first reclaimed wood merchant in Lambeth to support increasing wood recycling within the borough. Our future ambition will be to set up additional collaborations with construction companies which generate scaffolding, ply sheets, and pallet wood and be an outlet for the repurposing of reclaimed materials. 

Why did you want to create a business using reusable/waste products?

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and been a problem solver. I started InUse ReUse because I noticed the high volumes of cardboard being accumulated from traders at Brixton Market. My initial proposal to Brixton BID was to develop a reusable storage box system, however, the market already had a solution to recycle the cardboard boxes but there was still a problem with large volumes of pallets within the market. That’s where Inuse Reuse came from. I put together a proposal to reuse, recycle and upcycle these materials, and from there Brixton Bid set up a meeting with Lambeth Council's environmental department. We got approved to deliver a pilot scheme, and the rest is history. 

What type of things do you make?

Over the years we have made all types of furniture from benches, tables and planters, but we’ve also had some super interesting projects delivering mud kitchens, gabion seats and cycle racks with wood signage plus lots more.

What are you making for Trinity?

It’s been a great opportunity working with Trinity and being part of Trinity’s Sustainable 7 programme. Within the new Brixton shop, we have built a pallet table, 10 planters with 9 units at 700cm in length to the shop till unit at 1600cm, with the remaining units stools for the fitting room.  

Find out more about Inuse Reuse

Get directions to our Brixton charity shop to see it for yourself