The MidZuid Magic: Where Zero Waste Meets Zero Barriers
Our visit to MidZuid was an absolute masterclass in doing good, feeling good, and running a seriously smart circular business.
This isn’t just a second-hand shop; it’s a Voluntary for Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) powerhouse. It's a place where waste material gets a new life, and so do the amazing people who work there. It's truly magic!
The MidZuid Model: Not Your Average UK Charity Shop
Walking in, the first thing you notice is the space—it’s massive! Unlike some of the cramped, full-to-the-brim charity shops we often see in the UK, MidZuid has deliberately set up shop outside the pricey city centre to create a different kind of retail experience. The layout is bright, spacious, and everything is priced to move.
But here’s the key difference: they use a clever mix of fixed prices for standard clothing, combined with special 'highlight' racks to get a little extra for the designer brands they receive (we saw a jacket that was originally €110, now going for €45!). This approach ensures fairness, keeps the stock turning constantly (a must-do to prevent people saying "it's still the same stuff!"), and most importantly, it helps fund their social mission. Plus, even the furniture and display stands in the shop are made from repurposed building materials —talk about walking the walk!
The Waste Angle: Tackling Carbon with Creativity
We talk a lot about the big, exciting mechanical recycling, but what about the millions of tons of stuff that can simply be reused? MidZuid is hitting the carbon reduction targets every single day just by extending the life of products.
Their commitment is total: everything you see in the store, from the clothes to the lamps and paintings, is second-hand—no new components are bought in. But they’re not stopping at textiles! They’ve launched a brilliant bike recycling project, fixing up old bikes and making new ones, and teaching six people the art of bike mechanics. They’re also eyeing up smaller electrical equipment next. It’s a perfect example of how local, creative reuse is a massive part of a zero-waste future. Every item they repair, upcycle, or meticulously disassemble is an item that doesn't go to landfill or incineration.
Social Impact: Learning, Language, and Launching Careers
This is the part that truly fills your heart. MidZuid is a development facility as much as it is a shop. They have an allocation department specifically for people who want to get a job.
In the Netherlands, if someone receives state benefits and is able to work, the expectation is clear: they must actively participate in an employment program to develop skills and move towards independence. MidZuid is the vital bridge in this system.
They are responsible for placing candidates in vulnerable positions in the labour market in employment. They believe that everyone should have the opportunity to live as independently as possible. Work is the foundation for this. This is how they create a society in which everyone participates as fully as possible!
They teach them real job skills, from sorting high-end brands to running the cosy in-house coffee corner. Crucially for the immigrants, they incorporate Dutch language lessons to boost their confidence and give them the best shot at securing a permanent job in the wider market after a few months. This isn’t just a placement; it’s a clear pathway to a more independent and integrated life.
They believe in social solutions for labour market issues. This is how they grow toward a society in which everyone participates.
The sheer variety of work streams at MidZuid is what makes it so successful at building skills and boosting employability. They support a wide range of individuals through job coaching, internships, sheltered work, and robust work-study programs to ensure the work truly aligns with skills and interests.
The hands-on training leads to valuable, certified qualifications:
Environmental & Facility Skills: Beyond the retail floor, MidZuid trains people to become certified green workers in garden maintenance, as well as professional cleaners and janitors. They also offer training to become certified forklift drivers!
Logistics & Sorting: We saw teams efficiently sorting donations on a conveyor belt, learning crucial logistics and quality control skills.
The Deconstruction Detectives: Circularity often starts with deconstruction! We saw people meticulously breaking down complex, defective products—like a high-end thermos flask for Eric—separating every component part: the different types of plastic, the metal housing, the rubber seal. This allows upstream recyclers to analyse the material and see how they can be recycled to become new raw material.
Repair, Upcycling, & Retail: Skills are learned on the retail floor, in the on-site canteen (essential for catering and hygiene training), and on the repair side, they fix up everything from furniture to the bike project. We met an immigrant worker, a talented tailor, who is repairing and upcycling clothes, all while learning Dutch and building a vital social support network.
Catering & Retail: Skills are also learned in the on-site canteen (essential for catering and hygiene training) and on the retail floor (learning customer service and cash handling).
The whole process is designed to give participants a deep and varied toolkit, making them far more employable and integrated into the community after their placement.
Our Zero Selby’s Takeaway
Our visit to MidZuid made one thing crystal clear: circular economy is the social economy. By focusing on keeping material out of landfill, they automatically create meaningful work, deliver essential skills, and build a stronger community. It highlights a huge challenge for us in the UK: we need to stop charging our vital VCSE and charity groups for waste collection and start rewarding them for saving carbon and transforming lives!
MidZuid proves that a robust VCSE sector is the most powerful vehicle for sustainable change. It highlights a massive opportunity for the UK: funding our own social enterprises and empowering them to drive both our zero-waste goals and our community integration efforts. This model isn't just good for the planet; it's genuinely transformative for people.
Edit – Since our trip to the Netherlands, there have been an increase in the number of high-end charity superstores opening, which are very similar to the Mid-Zuid shop and the Het Goed shops from a shopping experience. The charity shops in Selby have now all completed the Council form to get a permit to take their waste donations (broken, incomplete, or generally unsellable items) to the local Household Waste Recycling Centre without charge.
For more information on our trip to the Netherlands, read our blog series or watch our v-log series and check out our social media. If you’d like to read our report on our trip you can view this here, and if you’d like to help us level up the support from the Government for change in the waste and recycling industry, please do pass our High-level report to your local MP and ask them to push the movement forward.
For more information on our Shop for the Future project, read our news article or take a look at our page here.