Surrey Waste Management (SWM) is to hold a five-day road show encouraging Chertsey residents to donate their good quality household items to good causes.

SWM’s waste minimisation team will hold the event from 21- 25 January at Lyne Lane Community Recycling Centre (CRC) Chertsey. It is aimed at helping Surrey householders to donate their quality unwanted items to various reuse groups and charity shops across Surrey, as well as helping people to discover how to buy good quality items at affordable prices.

Furniture reuse groups are spread throughout Surrey and accept quality larger items such as sofas, dining tables and in some cases washing machines and dishwashers that residents no longer want and would usually throw away. These are then sold on to other residents, which generates funds to support the group while keeping perfectly usable goods from being sent to landfill.

Sarah Ottaway, waste minimisation team manager, said that January is traditionally a time when, due to Christmas presents the previous month and the January sales, a large amount of perfectly good items are thrown away.

“Giving your unwanted items to your local charity shop or furniture reuse group is as easy as taking it to your local recycling centre,” she said. “The main difference is that you will have the benefit of giving it a new lease of life with someone who needs it and as you won’t be sending it to landfill you are helping the environment.”