Furniture recycling charity does its bit for charity
WITH 'green' issues firmly on the local, national and international agenda, praise should be reserved for organisations doing their bit to ensure a more eco-friendly future.
One such company is Phoenix Community Furniture. A registered charity operating since 1997, it takes unwanted furniture, bicycles, paint and timber and offers them to the elderly, disabled, young people, single parents, anyone on benefits or on a low income.
It's experiencing a big increase in demand for its services too.
In 2005 it was processing 58 tonnes of unwanted items; in the past 12 months alone it has taken in over 830 tonnes.
The original depot in Newtown was proving too small to cope with the entire operation, so it has opened some new premises in Llandrindod Wells and increased its transport fleet from one van to five.
As well as offering recycled items to people, Phoenix now offers training opportunities for young people, long term unemployed, people with mental health problems and those wishing to learn new skills in its carpentry and electrical workshops.
David Birch from Phoenix said: "People certainly seem more green conscious nowadays, wanting to recycle and re-use.
"We offer people the chance to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by taking in unwanted items, processing them and finding new homes so someone else can enjoy the benefits of something that may previously have ended up on a tip somewhere. The whole community benefits."
Phoenix operates across the whole county.
For more information, go to phoenixcfl.co.uk, call the Newtown office on 01686 623336 or the Llandrindod Wells office on 01597 829295.
