REfUSE

REfUSE is a social enterprise based in Chester-le-Street, County Durham. Our vision is to reveal the true value of things, places and people that may be unjustly wasted or overlooked.

We intercept food that would otherwise go to waste, and use it to make nutritious meals and teach people about the true value of food. A busy, high street Pay As You Feel cafe is the hub, from which we also run restaurant nights and catered events. Surplus food is used in our community shop, to make up Waste Not boxes and cater for events. Our outreach program for schools, businesses and community groups engage and exemplify a healthy and sustainable food system. All our work is fuelled by, and centred around, a dedicated, reactive and inclusive volunteer community. 

Filling our little electric van every day, we intercept between 8-10 tonnes of food each month from supermarkets and retailers around the North East. Along with a force of other organisations, activists and campaigners, we’ve raised awareness of the injustice of food waste at every level, from households and families to businesses and supermarket directors.