RECYCLING furniture could soon become common place in Barnet after a housing group was awarded cash to start a new scheme.

Residents in the borough will now be able to take their used furniture to a depot owned by a charity set up by Barnet Homes, where it will be prepared for resale by staff and volunteers.

It is hoped the initiative will divert thousands of tonnes of waste away from landfill sites and give people a place to pick up good-quality affordable furniture.

The Barnet Reuse Centre charity, set up by but separate from Barnet Homes, will operate from a base in Queens Parade, Friern Barnet.

Three full-time staff jobs are being created as well as 20 volunteer placements, with people who are unemployed or with learning diasabilities able to work ther and gain new skills.

Staff at the centre will also be able to receive white goods and old electrical equipment.

The £200,000 grant has come from the London Waste and Recycling Board, along with funding from the Future Jobs fund and the Milly Apthorp Trust, and is being supported by the new London Reuse Network.

Barnet Homes Chief Executive, Tracey Lees, said: “We’re delighted to have received confirmation of the final portion of the funding we need to establish this project.

“This all came about after some of our staff raised the issue of families having difficulty buying decent furniture at an affordable price, and the sheer amount of good quality furniture that was simply being thrown away.

“The Barnet Furniture Centre will help thousands of families at a time of economic hardship. It will also benefit the environment by reducing the amount of material going to landfill, and the local community by offering job and volunteering opportunities.”