A forward-thinking council’s scheme to sell on unwanted items from its recycling centres means increased reuse rates, less waste, and income generation – in all, excellent news!

In Oxfordshire County Council’s new trial scheme, some items left at recycling centres are recovered and sold on rather than being recycled. Effectively, people are donating their unwanted items rather than disposing of them; provided their condition is suitable, they will be priced up and sold to bargain hunters.

A range of household items is accepted under the new scheme, but electrical goods will not be sold because the Council’s waste management contractor is unable to test them for safety. The proceeds from sales of the second-hand furniture and other goods such as kitchen equipment will raise money for the Council, enabling them to continue funding their comprehensive waste management operations amid the tricky financial situation facing local authorities.

The trial, which is funded by the contractor, will run for six months and enable the Council to assess the demand for the scheme. If successful, it will be adopted by the Council and continue generating money to put towards waste management.

According to Councillor Hilary Hibbert-Biles, Oxfordshire is the best county council in England for recycling, and the scheme will help the people of the county to produce less waste. Other councillors are excited about the scheme and its income-generating potential, too. Leader of the Council, Ian Hudspeth, said:

“We hope to make enough to cover the cost of running the centres. It would be fantastic if they did.”

Furniture Donation Network understands the Oxfordshire Councillors’ enthusiasm for the project, and welcomes any scheme such as this, which will prioritise reuse over recycling. The Council’s forward-thinking aims echo the essence of Furniture Donation Network, a scheme that enables people to donate their unwanted furniture to good causes, simply by booking a collection online. The items are then given to charities, which can either donate the goods to people in need or sell the furniture on in their shops and generate income to continue their operations.

As with the trial scheme in Oxfordshire, Furniture Donation Network is interested in items that are in suitable condition for reuse. We ask that items donated are in excellent or very good condition, which means that they would not look out of place in a showroom – or, at the very least, they will have only minor imperfections such as slight discolouration or a few small scratches.

If items are not in suitable condition for reuse, consider using Bulky Waste, one of Furniture Donation Network’s partners. Like Furniture Donation Network, this is a Community Dotcom scheme run by the Recycling Lives social business. Other schemes include Car Donation Network, which collects unwanted vehicles, and Scrap Car Network, which pays a fee to sellers of scrap vehicles. In all cases, charities benefit, including the Recycling Lives social welfare charity that supports homeless people to find work and accommodation. Never before has disposing of unwanted goods benefited so many people!