Starting a Creative Reuse Centre / Scrapstore / Resource Centre

Staff, Volunteers, Management, Organisational Structure, Suppliers, Marketing, Press, Finance, Vehicles and a whole lot more are the things you'll need to consider and make decisions about.

If you're still excited and not too daunted please read our checklist below to make sure your values match how the network operates:

• Materials are predominantly sourced from businesses
• There is or will be a membership scheme
• That your organisation/group is a not for personal profit (not sole trader or commercial organisation)
• That there is or will be a designated area of sorted scrap materials
• That your facility is or will be accessible by members at specific and regular dates & times

If you answered yes to everything on the checklist and are looking to start a new Creative Reuse Centre / Scrapstore / Resource Centre, one of the most important things is to check what other providers there are in your area and to contact them to discuss your plans. Unlike Charity Shops we have found that it works best when there is only one centre in an area to ensure a healthy supply of resources and members. Sometimes in an urban area with a high population and industry density it is possible for more than one centre to coexist with another however this does rely on working together to ensure agreed boundaries and catchment areas to make sure that both organisations area able to be sustainable in the long term.

To do this, you need to go to the Directory page of our website. Type in your postcode and click on a radius of 25, check to see all the scrapstores in your area. All their details are on this page. You will need their support to become a member of the Reuseful UK network as individual members work within specific areas and work collaboratively not competitively. The network members share knowledge and swop resources with each other to ensure that they all maintain a continuous variety of exciting resources for their members.

Things to consider when starting up a scrapstore:

• Governance and Legal Structures
• Choosing a Logistically Suitable Location and Premises
• Transportation and Membership Accessibility
• Membership and Income Generation
• Financial Policies and Procedures
• Human Resource Management – Staff and Volunteers
• Marketing and Communications to Businesses and Members
• Assessing and Managing Health and Safety
• Transportation and Storage of Waste – Staying Legal
• Identifying, Recruiting and Maintaining Suppliers
• Essential Policies Procedures

Once you have conducted your intial consultation, we will verify that there are no conflict of interest concerns from our members in your area and then if it is appropriate we will register you as a Full Reuseful UK Member so that you can acess our member's forum and resources, to register your interest please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please note all guidance documents and helpline support do not constitute legal or professional advice. Please refer to www.gov.uk for statutory obligations and up to date policy guidelines.