New social enterprise to collect large household items

14 September 2011   

On Monday 19 September, a new social enterprise called right2work managed by the Oaklea Trust, will be taking over the collection of large household items such as unwanted wardrobes, beds, mattresses, sofas and chairs from South Lakeland District Council. 

To launch this new service, members of staff from right2work and the Oaklea Trust will join Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson at 12 noon on Friday 16 September in their new premises at Dockray Hall Industrial Estate, Kendal. 

The new social enterprise will provide employment and training opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged people in South Lakeland.  right2work will help people to develop skills in furniture restoration, repair and domestic appliance repair for re-use and re-sale.  Some of the goods collected could also be given to needy or disadvantaged groups in the district and would only be sent to landfill as a last resort. 

The public will still call the SLDC Customer Contact Centre on 0845 050 4434 to arrange for their unwanted household goods to be collected.  They will be offered an appointment between 8am and 4pm from Tuesday to Saturday, with evening collections until 8pm each Thursday.  Items will be collected within seven working days and customers will have the option of receiving a text or phone message to say the collectors are on their way. 

There is a charge for the new service, which is £30.00 for a single collection of up to three items and extra items costing £9.60 each, up to a maximum of ten items per collection.  Full details of the new service and charges are available on the council’s website at www.southlakeland.gov.uk 

Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson, portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability, said: “We want to ensure that SLDC is a sustainable council and by working with right2work we are providing a much better service as a majority of the goods collected are likely to be recycled or refurbished.  Staff at this innovative social enterprise will also be learning new skills and less waste will be sent to landfill as a result.” 

Later this year, right2work will be opening a retail outlet at Dockray Hall in Kendal where members of the public will be able to buy items that have been re-furbished.