As part of our 'Making Batley Greener' campaign Victoria Sheard spoke to the people who can give your old sofa a new lease of life.

TUCKED away in a Batley warehouse is a veritable showroom of opportunities.

You could refurnish your whole house at 'Pass it On!' for a couple of hundred quid – and that's the idea, says supervisor Dave Rawling.

The scheme, which is run in conjunction with the National Children's Centre, is as simple as the name suggests.

Unwanted, good-quality sofas, three piece suites, tables and chairs, wall units, beds, books, electrical items, CDs, toys and bric-a-brac is collected for free from homes all over North Kirklees by 'a man with a van', then put on display at the Pass it On! showroom at Rouse Mill Lane.

The recycled furniture is priced to help families and people on low incomes.

But the scheme does not just give people an affordable way to make a home – it is great for the environment too.

Furniture dumped in landfill sites could take decades to decompose and often the various materials used in their construction leach out toxic substances which are bad for the soil.

By recycling old furniture this harmful process is avoided.

Mr Rawling said: "The amount of stuff people take to the landfill is just unbelievable.

"We know there are often things down there that we could have used. So we know by running this scheme we are doing our bit for the environment.
"We recycle around 150 tonnes annually."

Pass it On! was set up two years ago after government funding for schemes to provide free furniture for low income families was stopped.

Staff converted the warehouse, giving it a lick of paint and carpeting the floor. Within a couple of months the unit next door became vacant and the showroom expanded.

Mr Rawling, who has worked for the scheme for eight years, said: "The aim has always been firstly to fill a social need, to assist people who could least afford the furniture.

"By having places available such as this, where people can donate their furniture rather than them going into landfill, we are able to carry out our aim.

"Prices are kept to a minimum. The money goes towards operating costs and supporting the work of the National Children's Centre.

"Some of the furniture is still supplied free through Kirklees Homeless Unit. We get referrals for people who are being housed and we get a small grant each year to furnish a certain number of households."

Pass it On! is part of the nationwide Furniture Recycling Network which aims to ensure the social and environmental benefit of such schemes are available everywhere.

The warehouse is open from 9am until 5pm Monday to Friday, with plans to open on Saturdays shortly.

To donate clean items in good repair contact the team on 08456 341360.
Any items not meeting EU safety standards may not be taken.