M Cwmbran partners with local upcycling charity to drive waste reduction

M Core’s M Cwmbran shopping centre has teamed up with local charity, Forest Upcycling Project, to support sustainability and waste reduction across the centre, ensuring quality, reusable goods collected from tenants are given a second life rather than being sent to landfill.

The partnership was developed by the centre’s environmental and cleaning management teams after identifying a significant volume of reusable items being mistakenly sent to landfill. By working with Forest Upcycling Project, these items are now collected, sorted, and resold for community benefit. 

Forest Upcycling Project, which has been serving communities for more than a decade, operates across Cinderford, Monmouthshire, Swindon and Cwmbran. The Cwmbran branch, based at Unit 1 Avondale Industrial Estate, provides a range of services including furniture collections, house moves, and clearances. Its Chepstow branch also offers a unique ‘Cycle Up’ scheme, refurbishing bikes for resale and hosting community repair workshops and a café.

As part of the new collaboration, the M Cwmbran team has already delivered its first load, a 1100L bin full of resaleable items that will now be redistributed for community use and resale, helping to reduce environmental impact. 

Charlotte, The Manager at Upcycle Torfaen, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside M Cwmbran. Together, we’re helping to save quality items from landfill to recycle, supporting the local community and protecting the environment at the same time. Through this partnership, we’re fortunate and able to give a second life to larger items that smaller charities can’t accommodate for. It’s a pleasure working together, and we’re excited to see how much more we can achieve for our community and the planet.”

Julie Williams, The Soft Service Manager at M Cwmbran, added: “In response to new waste legislation and our ongoing commitment to sustainability, we began closely monitoring waste across the site and discovered a large number of reusable items ending up in general waste. By partnering with the Forest Upcycling Project, we’ve already made a tangible difference and this is just the start. We’re really proud to be supporting local reuse initiatives that help both people and the world.”

This initiative reflects M Cwmbran’s ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility and forms part of M Core’s wider sustainability strategy, focused on reducing waste, supporting local communities, and promoting long-term, positive environmental impact.

M Cwmbran is managed by LCP, part of M Core. For more information, visit http://www.cwmbrancentre.com/