'Reduce, reuse and recycle' is the mantra of the whole school especially Green Gang, who popped down on the 24th March to see the Lord Mayor open the British Heart Foundation furniture shop in Canton.

A couple of weeks ago a survey showed that "over half of the people asked admitted that they had not recycled furniture recently" and that included selling it on or giving it to a friend or relative. Recycling furniture is a pretty good thing to do in itself but the BHF also uses it to raise funds to help research, education, care and awareness campaigns aimed to prevent heart diseases. Every year the UK sends a shocking  50,000 tonnes of household furniture to landfill, this is a shameful waste of resources, especially with such high levels of poverty in the country. Often the furniture is in perfectly good condition but just the wrong colour or style for a new makeover.

One sofa can raise enough money for the BHF to provide a heart scan for a patient. The other point is that people who could only afford new furniture by getting into silly HP agreements or other forms of debt can now get safe quality furniture at a very reasonable price.

A lot of the furniture we have at Millbank is donated from business. Miss Allen would much rather have a second hand desk, or have reused chairs for the staff room and Library so money can be spent on the children. You can find some really nice furniture at the BHF. The shop is on a bus route so many people without cars can use public transport to visit it, BHF can collect and deliver the furniture and as we saw in the short time we were there, the furniture flies out of the place as it is bought and restocked; so there is always something new. Why not grab yourself a bargain- and save the planet too!

If you want to donate some furniture why not contact the BHF on 0844 412 5000. If you have clothes to donate why not take them to the BHF charity shop in Canton or one of the other charities you want to help there are plenty for you to choose from. Doorstep collections whereby you fill a bag at home often involve private workers so only a small amount goes to charity, so its better for the charity to take it in, but either way Green Gang say "please recycle!"

Track 2000 used to have a few shops in various parts of Ely and were very keen to recycle furniture and help those in need, their website is here. Cardiff Council will collect bulky items from you such as furniture for free (they cannot collect pianos or filing cabinets) for details call them on 029 2087 2087. If you do get a new fridge or freezer the shops will usually offer to take the old ones away. if you do use a 'man with a van' type service remember that you are responsible for checking that the furniture or product is disposed of properly and could be fined.