New Emmaus partnership gives furniture a fresh start

One person’s unwanted furniture could be another person’s fresh start – and our new partnership with Emmaus is helping make that happen.

Following a recommendation from our Scrutiny group – made up of involved residents – we launched our furniture recycling project with Emmaus at the start of the year, helping unwanted furniture find a new home instead of going to waste.

And we’re pleased to share it’s being put to good use! So far, in its pilot stage, 71 homes across M22 and M23 have used the service, including 38 of our own residents’ homes.

When a resident is getting ready to end their tenancy, we encourage them to contact Emmaus. The team then collect furniture that can be reused and give it another life in the community.

It’s a simple idea with several benefits. We can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, cut the cost of clearing empty homes and reduce the chance of customers being charged for items left behind.

If reusable furniture is left in an empty home, our team can also contact Emmaus to arrange collection within the agreed timescales.

If the pilot is successful, we hope to bring the service to more neighbourhoods across Wythenshawe.

Our Scrutiny group shared: “We wanted to reduce landfill and ensure that things people needed were not going to waste, so the idea that our empty homes often had furniture left in them did not sit well.

“Now, Emmaus can collect the furniture from the tenants wanting to leave and pick up anything left in the empty homes. This means the community benefit, and landfill is reduced.  It was fabulous to hear that 71 homes across M22 and M23 had so far used Emmaus for their unwanted items.”

Emmaus has also joined our list of furniture suppliers for our Living Well and Neighbourhoods teams, following feedback that residents wanted more options for support with finding furniture.

The project is a great example of us working with residents and our partners to find a practical solution that makes better use of unwanted items and supports our community.

So, before throwing furniture away, please think reuse first. If an item can’t be reused, Manchester City Council’s waste collection service may be able to help.