COUNTY planners have approved a scheme allowing the public to buy furniture, household goods and tools recovered from a Pembrokeshire waste recycling centre.

Pembrokeshire County Council applied to build a unit selling recovered items for reuse at its Waterloo Industrial Estate waste recycling centre as part of the council’s wider, grant-funded Reuse Project, supported by the Welsh Government.

A statement accompanying the application said: “The project aims to create reuse shops at waste and recycling centres across Pembrokeshire.

“The reuse shops are intended to support the recovery and resale of items diverted from the waste stream, thereby advancing the principles of the waste hierarchy and the circular economy.”

The statement added: “The facility will operate as part of the WRC waste management function, supporting the recovery and redistribution of items diverted from the municipal waste stream.

“Items offered within the reuse shop will be exclusively goods recovered from waste streams deposited by visitors to the Waterloo WRC. These items — which may include furniture, household goods, tools, books, and similar material — will be assessed, sorted and set aside for reuse rather than being deposited as residual waste or recycling.”

The statement stressed that the facility “will not procure or trade new goods, nor will it function as a commercial retail enterprise,” but will make recovered goods available for public reuse.

The statement added: “The facility is designed to integrate with the existing WRC operation such that visitors depositing waste may also browse and acquire reusable items prior to or following their visit. This operational model is anticipated to generate minimal additional traffic, as it is expected that many reuse shop users will already be attending the WRC.”

Pembroke Dock Town Council’s planning committee supported the application.

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A council officer’s report recommended approval, and planners approved the application subject to conditions.