Member Article

Furniture recycling scheme for people struggling financially diverts 200 items away from landfill

Tonnes of pre-loved furniture in Salford destined for landfill sites has been donated to families in need.

Housing association Salix Homes, which owns 8,000 homes in Salford, has launched a new scheme to recycle unwanted furniture that has been donated or left behind when tenants move out and given to residents who need it most.

Since the scheme launched this summer, more than 200 items of furniture including sofas, wardrobes, beds, white goods, and even smaller items like ornaments and mirrors, have been diverted away from landfill sites.

Maria Lester, environmental services manager at Salix Homes, said: “Furnishing a home from scratch can be very expensive and some of our tenants aren’t in the position to buy everything new. Thanks to this scheme, people who are struggling can come down to our warehouse and pick what they need to help make their house into a home.

“We’re really proud of this new scheme which is not only helping people who need it most, but we’re also saving tonnes of good quality furniture from being dumped in our communities or sent to landfill sites.

“Fly-tipping is a real issue in Salford and we hope this new recycling scheme will help reduce the amount of furniture dumped in our streets and communities.”

This week (September 23 – 29) is Recycle Week – a national campaign to encourage people to recycle more and Salix Homes is calling for more residents to donate and recycle furniture to help others.

Maria added: “We all have a duty to do our bit to help the environment and Recycle Week is the perfect opportunity to consider the impact our actions have on our planet and think about what changes we can make, however small. If you have any items of furniture that still has plenty of life left in it, we’d urge you to donate it to this fantastic cause where you’ll not only be helping the planet, but people living in poverty too.”

The scheme is only currently available for Salix Homes tenants.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hayley Collins .