‘Shops like mine help beat landfill’ says Doncaster boss

The Clutter Hut is located on Marsh Gate in Doncaster town centre and owned by Mark Greig, aged 53 from Arksey.

He started the business Clutter Busters seven years ago, it was inspired after the experiences he went through after his mother passed away in 2004.

He said: “She was an RAF wife and very house proud.

“When she passed I didn’t want to deal with the house but I couldn’t find anyone to empty it for me.

“So I ended up doing it myself and I thought at the time ‘there’s a business in this.’”

The process starts with The Clutter Busters evaluating a home before they go in and empty everything into two categories – pieces that can be sold on in The Clutter Hut and then waste which is then sent to the local waste disposal company Middletons.

Mark said: “You take the best and we remove the rest.

“We take what the family doesn’t want and would normally end up in a skip.

“We give items the opportunity to be re-used in the shop, they can have an extended or even second life.”

Mark’s motto is: “Why recycle an egg cup when it can be an egg cup?”

Mark’s father recently died and he chose to empty his house himself.

There are items related to Mark’s father all over the shop including brightly coloured glass which he collected throughout his life.

He said: “It ripped my heartstrings out.

“But it’s a really nice thought that his bits and bobs are here in the shop and they will go to someone who wants them in their home.”

The process of losing a loved one can be terrible but Mark hopes that The Clutter Busters are in some way helping the grief process.

He said: “We take the weight off their shoulders.

“The last thing anyone wants after burying a parent is to have to sort out the house.”

During an evaluation, Mark will walk the homeowner through what belongings are valuable and should not be a part of the clearance.

“I want to make a living not a fortnight to Benidorm,” he continued.

“I don’t need to rip people off.”

Mark says he runs a business, not a charity, but he often shows charitable actions.

Any food he finds when emptying a home he leaves outside The Clutter Hut for the homeless and he gives away walking sticks and other mobility aids to people who need them.

He says he has built up a regular customer base who come in time and time again.

That customer base includes a repeat customer fondly known as ‘Mr Tick Tock’, who buys as many clocks from The Clutter Hut as he can.

Mark doesn’t run The Clutter Busters or The Clutter Hut alone he has the help of his wife Debbie Greig who helps with the house clearances and in the shop.

If you want to keep up with the clutter hut you can check out their website or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/retrovintagethings/ .