A new service that reuses household furniture could cut costs for taxpayers as well as boosting employment rates amongst young adults.

The Re-use service, collects items like furniture, bicycles, children toys and equipment that need repairing, stopping them from being chucked on the streets and thus adding to the borough’s waste disposal cost.

Collected items are then repaired by the 16-25 year olds employed by charity Groundwork which is in partnership with the Re-use Network.

The repaired items are then re-sold to local residents at affordable prices. All items can be picked up from households and taken to the Rework workshop in Smugglers Way, Wandsworth however there is a charge of £20 for this service.

The service which started on January 4, is part of the London Re-use Network.

It is expected to boost Wandsworth recycling rates which in the year up until April of last year saw households cut the amount of rubbish they produce by 1.25 kilos a week, saving the council £642,000 in disposal costs.

To book a Re-use collection, call (020) 3142 8506.