A massive haul of dangerous furniture is being recycled after it was seized by Trading Standards in Swansea.
Leather reclining chairs, sofas and glass tables which were being sold on ebay are now being dismantled and recycled by a special recycling team employed by Swansea Council.
David Picken, Divisional Officer in Swansea Council’s Trading Standards Team, said: “All the items seized were being sold as fire safety compliant goods or safe for the home. One of the main issues with goods such as these is the associated fire risks. Very often these items are manufactured far below the required regulations in terms of fire safety.”
The furniture is now being broken down by the Swansea Waste Action Team (SWAT) who help sort through around 600 tonnes of bulky waste collected from people’s homes during the year.
The SWAT team is made up of service users from the Council’s Social Services Work Development Service.
Items collected from the homes of residents in Swansea are inspected and anything that can be reused or refurbished will be put to one side and collected by city-based reuse organisations. Other items that are beyond saving and are made from materials such as plastic, metal or wood will be broken down and recycled.
Trish Flint, Swansea Council’s Recycling Officer, said: “The SWAT Team does a great job in making sure bulky waste such as furniture is reused or recycled rather than being sent to landfill sites. Much of this furniture could have ended up in landfill if we hadn’t developed services such as SWAT.”
The SWAT Team is part of the Council’s Work Development Service and is part of the COASTAL project.
This scheme helps and supports the often complex needs of individuals who are experiencing difficulties or barriers to accessing training, education and employment as a result of disability or illness.
Debora Webb, Works Development Manager, said: “This is a great opportunity for meaningful employment and training for some of our service users and follows on from the highly successful NEAT team partnership with the Environment Department.
“Members of the new team are getting the opportunity to use tools and machinery they’ve never used before and this is giving them confidence and independence. This is helping them to develop very quickly and become less reliant on the day service.
“It’s also a great way of boosting recycling and helping the environment.”
