Restore project could be rolled out

Restore, a bring-and-buy re-use shop for second-hand household furniture and electrical goods, was opened by the Council at its recycling centre on the Scarva Road in Banbridge in June 2009.

This was done with the aim of extending the life of large, unwanted items of reusable household furniture and electrical goods to help divert the many tonnes of perfectly reusable items of furniture from landfill.

At a recent meeting of the ABC Council, a very impressed Councillor Margaret Tinsley said she would like to see the scheme continue.

Savings of £21,000 have been calculated so far, based on items being removed from landfill sites.

On average 45 tonne per year was lifted by Restore from landfill in the Banbridge area and 55 tonne per year in the Armagh area.

The savings also stem from a behavioural change in the public and increased recycling which has impacted the amount of waste going to landfill.

It is expected that this change in behaviour will continue.

Councillor Gordon Kennedy said that the project provided excellent training for young people and prepared them for employment.

This move comes despite the Restore project being unsuccessful in their application for funding from the European Social Fund.

The scheme has twice previously received funds from this and other funding streams are currently being explored.

Restore brings together all three strands of the Council’s sustainable development commitment - environmental, economic and social well-being.

Environmentally, Restore ensures that the life of household furniture is prolonged rather than prematurely discarded in landfill products.

Economically, Restore helps reduce landfill costs on local ratepayers while at the same time making low cost household goods available to the public.

Socially, it fulfils a valuable role by creating training opportunities for local people.

All profits from Restore go back into running the project.

The Restore shop is located at the recycling centre on Scarva road and opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to 1pm.