Furniture Reuse
We produce 100s of tonnes of waste furniture at the University, some of it in good working order, some of it almost new! We have set up a mail base to facilitate the reuse of any good quality furniture where possible and avoid sending any furniture to landfill. If you want to dispose of, or are looking for furniture you need to get involved.
How do I participate?
Sign up to the mail base: anyone with a Newcastle e-mal address can subscribe.
Send an email to sympa@newcastle.ac.uk and copy and paste the following into subject line: SUBSCRIBE furniturereuse YOUR NAME.
Once you have signed up:
- When you want to offer an item - whether it's a desk, fax machine, piano or an old dentist chair, simply send an email to the furniture reuse group.This message is sent to all other individuals that are signed up to the mail base as well as local charities.
- If you are looking for furniture you can search the mail base to find that item for your office.
Refurbishments and moving rooms/buildings
Disposing of large amounts of similar furniture from a room refurbishment or decant?
Please contact Daniel the Waste Manager on 3963 for help and advice.
Charities
If we cannot reuse your furniture internally we offer it to local charities. If you know a charity that might want an item/s we can pass on the furniture on this way also. Please email recycle@ncl.ac.uk to add your charity to the list.
Recycling
Any furniture that is not reused we break up for timber and scrap metal for recycling.
Offering furniture - Guidelines
Donating furniture
- Sign up to the mailbase
- Email the mailbase with details of the furniture you want to redistribute. ALL of the details below are required in order to create an efficient reuse system that people find useful, so please follow the guidance carefully.
- Please describe the items as fully as you can.
- Put a short description in email subject heading
- Try to include digital pictures
- When describing item please include: (just copy and paste this text into body of email)
- Colour
- Finish
- Condition
- Dimensions
- Location of item
- Comments:
- What is it for, how is it used, any special info?
- Main Contact for pick up:
- Name
- Phone number
- When someone has claimed your item email the group with the same info in the subject heading but add: ‘TAKEN’. This will stop anyone else getting in touch with you and wasting your time. It will also help to quantify how many tonnes of furniture we divert from landfill.
- Please insure that keys go with any item are available if possible
- Furniture must be functional- if it is not please fill in a porters request for recycling using this form
To comply with health and safety requirements, Facilities staff are not permitted to assemble/disassemble furniture which is too large to transport from one location to another(desks etc). This is carried out by ESS direct works staff for which a charge is made. The current charge is £21 for disassembly and a further £21 to reassemble once the item has been transported.
Please use this form if you require furniture to be disassembled by direct works.
What to do if your item is not claimed
If nobody wants your item you can fill out a porters request form to have it removed and recycled. If your items are not claimed email the group with the original info in the subject heading but add: ‘REMOVED’.
Looking for something? Claiming furniture items
- Visit the furniture reuse list: https://lists.ncl.ac.uk/wws/arc/furniturereuse
- If you want an item that has been publicised on the mail base please get in touch with the originator of the message.
- Once you have spoken to the originator of the claimed item please fill out a porters request form to have it transferred to your area. If you are looking for a specific item you can search through the old messages to see if your item is available.
Furniture crimes!
These chairs were rescued from a skip and donated to charity. Please use this system to prevent this situation occurrin