£100,000 boost for three new charity shops to recycle old furniture and create jobs
A homeless charity in London that recycles old furniture has been given a £100,000 boost by the London Waste and Recycling Board. This will not only boost recycling and divert waste from landfill, but also lead to the creation of 69 new employment opportunities.
Trinity, which already runs two shops in Hayes and Uxbridge, collects unwanted but good q
uality furniture from local residents and sells it through its shops. The proceeds are used to house and train single homeless people, who also gain new skills working in the retail units.
The funding from the London Waste and Recycling Board will go towards setting up three new outlets, which the charity estimate will help create 69 new employment opportunities. The first of the new shops is set to open later this year near Uxbridge High Street. The charity also aims to purchase three second hand vehicles, which will be converted to run on bio-diesel and used to collect the unwanted furniture.
The London Waste and Recycling Board is supporting this project as it helps to minimise the amount of waste sent to landfill and cut carbon emissions by encouraging people to reuse old but perfectly good furniture, rather than buy new items. Currently 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes of furniture is sent to landfill each year in the UK. London also faces hefty fines if we continue to dump so much of our waste in landfill. Trinity’s shops already divert 1,000 tonnes of furniture from landfill and this support from the London Waste and Recycling Board will help to divert 2,000 tonnes more furniture.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and Chair of the London Waste and Recycling Board said: 'Trinity is a truly exceptional project. Thanks to this funding, the charity can expand its excellent work in saving perfectly useable furniture from ending up in landfill, whilst also providing employment and skills for homeless people. This ticks all the right boxes in helping to exploit the
value of 'waste' and stimulating a green economy in the capital.'
Steve Hedley, Chief Executive of Trinity, said: ’Creating employment is the only way socially excluded people can realistically enter the open jobs market. To be able to do this whilst reducing the waste that goes to landfill and provide low cost furniture for low income families is a triple whammy, a trinity of good outcomes. We are so happy that the London Waste and Recycling Board have agreed to help us to make this happen. Over the next three years, this partnership will have a direct impact on many peoples lives, our community and our environment.'
The London Waste and Recycling Board, chaired by the Mayor and working in conjunction with London’s boroughs, has a budget of £84m to spend over three years to improve waste management in the capital through increased recycling, minimising waste generation and finding more environmentally friendly ways to process rubbish.
Since being established, the London Waste and Recycling Board has: agreed a Business Plan setting out its priorities for funding decisions; funded London’s largest ever Recycle for London campaign; established a brokerage service (designed to bring together waste producers with those who dispose and manage waste); and received over 170 proposals (expressions of interest) asking for its support which are now being examined in more detail to decide which will receive funding.
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