Feel great, not guilty!

RE-USE line 0800 0665 820

Edinburgh residents are being offered the opportunity to feel great, not guilty, about what happens to their unwanted household itemsby calling the Re-use Line to arrange for their items to have another life.

New research by Zero Waste Scotland shows that many people feel guilty when they get rid of an item when there is nothing wrong with it. The research also shows people get a real feel good factor when they pass things on to others, but many people aren’t sure where they can send their items locally.

By using the Re-use Line, locals can let professional operators make the arrangements for a free collection by a local good cause with just a few clicks of the mouse at www.reusephoneline.com or by lifting the phone and calling 0800 0665 820.

The Re-use Line is a service which arranges for unwanted furniture, white goods and bikes to be collected for free by local re-use organisations to help support their charitable aims. By using the service to pass on items such as furniture or white goods, Edinburgh residents can save time and money by skipping the tip or a paid uplift, feel great for helping a local charity and can also get reassurance that their item isn’t needlessly going to landfill, but will instead go on to be used by others.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “We know that when it comes to disposing of things that are no longer needed, people really want to do the right thing, but aren’t sure what the local options are. The Re-use Line makes it really easy to arrange for a local organisation to pick something up from your door. It saves time and effort, benefits local good causes and allows you to get something out of the house in a way that makes you feel great instead of guilty about waste. Making it easier to re-use things helps Scotland move to a more circular economy, where things are kept in productive use for as long as possible.”

The Re-use Line collects bed frames, mattresses, chests of drawers, bookcases, wardrobes, dressing tables, tables, chairs, sofas, armchairs, washing machines, electric cookers, fridge freezers and bikes. Items need to still be in good condition to be collected. This means they should be free from tears in upholstery, be in working order and should not have been left outside.

Sofas and armchairs can only be picked up if they have their fire-tags still attached, as without these they are not allowed to be passed on or sold by law. Bikes tend to be collected by local bike recycling charities, where expert mechanics will fix them up to be re-used, so bikes requiring minor repairs can be collected.