Recycling scheme redistributes furniture to support people facing homelessness

Birmingham City Council has launched a furniture recycling scheme to support individuals facing homelessness and repurpose unwanted furniture waste.

Prior to the scheme, surplus furniture left behind by council tenants was disposed of due to lack of storage and redistribution systems.

The scheme identifies such items that council tenants are happy to donate, stores them, and then uses a network of partners to find the furniture a new home. It prioritises rough sleepers, those in temporary accommodation, and new council tenants who have previously not had a home.

Councillor Jayne Francis, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, emphasised the benefits of the initiative: “Storing and recycling furniture is a small way to make a big difference for some of Birmingham's most vulnerable people.

“The recycling scheme not only helps the tenants themselves, but it also reduces costs associated with dealing with void council homes.”

The scheme has already made a tangible difference, providing furniture such as an electric bed to a veteran with chronic health conditions, and a flat-screen TV to Age UK to be used as part of their dementia services.

The pilot has launched in partnership with organisations such as Trident Reach Cranstoun, OVO Energy, and FRC, which have provided funding, furniture, and temporary accommodation. Gillespies also contributed a storage container for the council to collect and store items.

Encouraged by the results seen so far, Birmingham City Council plans to scale up the initiative, including expanding storage capacity to accommodate a larger supply of reusable furniture.

Councillor Francis added: “The pilot has shown that there is a readily available supply of surplus furniture that can be recycled for those who need it most, and so we will be expanding our capacity to store furniture.”