Blog by Peter Liddell, Furniture Store Supervisor 

For those unfamiliar with our service, our facility is located in the basement of the Simon Building. We house all the University’s unwanted/surplus furniture, this includes but is not limited to office chairs, desks, cabinets, bookcases, lab benches etc.

Our aim is to reuse/rehome as many of these items as humanly possible, by doing so we prevent them from being sent to landfill. We achieve this by getting them back into circulation within the University or by donating them to staff, students, local charities, schools, and C.I.Cs.

By reusing items on campus within departmental buildings, we are  massively reducing our carbon footprint and saving the University significant sums of money.

Reusing good quality furniture on campus, negates the need to purchase new items. The knock-on effect is that staff do not have to go through the procurement process, new furniture does not have to be manufactured/transported and raw materials need not be consumed.

In September 2023 we set a new record, we reused 8.5 tonnes of furniture (in one month)   

By doing so, we saved staff and students £35,000. We also donated a further £8000 worth of furniture to local schools and charities.

So how does it work?

Our facility is open to staff and students on Wednesdays and Thursdays 12pm-3pm, staff and students are welcome to browse our stock. If the items are for on campus use within a departmental building, we can deliver them to your building. We carry out deliveries Monday to Friday.

I am member of staff/student can I have items for home?

Yes, you can have certain items for free to use as part of a home office, so that could be a desk, operator chair, fixed chair and a perhaps a small shelving unit/bookcase (stock allowing). We can also provide you with free stationery and printer toner/cartridges.

Do you deliver to my home?

No, you must arrange your own transport, the good news is we provide some desks flat packed which makes them much easier to get into a car!

Do you donate items to schools and charities?

Yes, over the last 18 months we have donated 75 tonnes of furniture to 45 individual organisations Saving them £365,000!

I hope to see you at Furniture4Reuse!

Peter Liddell, Furniture Store Supervisor

For more information about our service please see our website: Furniture Recycling (The University of Manchester) or follow us on Twitter/X: Furniture4Reuse (@UoM_F4R) / X (twitter.com)

The content discussed in this article aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: Sustainable cities and communities (11), Responsible consumption and production (12). 

Sign up to receive the FBMH ES newsletter by contacting srbmh@manchester.ac.uk. Read our previous editions: June and October 2023 

To find out more about Environmental Sustainability: visit the Faculty’s intranet page, website or contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk . For more information on Environmental Sustainability at the University watch this short film or visit their website.

Related