Re-use campaign targets five London boroughs

A promotional campaign to tackle waste by boosting the number of items donated for re-use in five London boroughs is being launched by the London Re-use Network (LRN).

Announced yesterday (July 21), the LRN initiative will target nearly one million Londoners in Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth and the City of London with information to help increase the re-use of unwanted furniture and white goods.

Supported by 55,000 from the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) and delivered by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme), the campaign will feature leaflets, posters, online and social media marketing, as well as liveried vehicles and articles in borough magazines for residents.

As well as increasing re-use, LRN which passes refurbished items on to low income, recently-housed families hopes the campaign will boost its ability to provide volunteering and training opportunities in retail, administration and waste management for jobseekers.

Items LRN accepts for re-use include beds, sofas, tables and chairs, washing machines, cookers, fridges and bicycles. Donors can drop off items at charity-run re-use shops or book a collection at Londonreuse.com or by calling 020 3142 8506.

London Re-use Network

LRN managing director, Charles Craft, said: We want residents in these five boroughs to really get involved in the re-use revolution through this campaign. They won’t only be doing something good for the environment in diverting good quality items away from landfill and incineration, but theyll be doing others a good turn too because the items they donate will provide volunteering and training opportunities in our charity partners shops and our re-use centres.

Theyll also know that theyll be helping people less well off than they are make their surroundings more homely and comfortable.

Mr Craft added: Weve made it as easy as possible for them to donate through our telephone hotline, online, or by dropping items off at re-use shops run by our charity partners. Theres no downside for them and there are huge benefits for them as well as others in their community.

LRN is made up of re-use projects and charities which collect, repair and sell unwanted furniture, appliances and household items.

Speaking at the Furniture Reuse Network (FRN) conference in March, communities secretary Eric Pickles said the reuse sector was too polite and that organisations should take more advantage of powers in the Localism Act to take bigger decisions to boost re-use (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, last year, the Local Government Association (LGA) called for a co-ordinated approach to promoting reuse in the UK after the first meeting of its Reuse Commission (see letsrecycle.com story).