DISADVANTAGED people are receiving washing machines, microwaves and other white goods, thanks to a partnership between a charity and a waste management company.

Premier Waste Management, based in Durham City, is providing the East Durham Partnership (EDP) charity with white goods that are collected at its recycling sites in County Durham.

Items such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, cookers, microwaves and dishwashers are given to EDP to recondition and sell on at affordable prices.

The scheme has proved so popular that the charity is selling about 50 a week.

EDP engineers assess items that can be fixed, and those that can are collected and reconditioned for reselling.

Any items that are unusable are dismantled and the components recycled.

Any profit from the sale of items is used to create jobs at the charity for unemployed people.

Kevin Hawkes, of Premier Waste Management, said: “Our household recycling sites frequently receive white goods.

“Often there is nothing wrong with them or they are in good enough condition that they can be repaired.

“By supporting the East Durham Partnership, we are not only ensuring that good quality items are reused rather than going to landfill, but also providing a very worthwhile charity with the goods it needs to help people.”

Ellen Foxton, of EDP, said: “We have been repairing and selling white goods for a year and a half now, and it is extremely popular.

“We recondition so many that we are not just providing a service for local residents, but also supplying them to other charities to help them raise funds too. This is a fantastic scheme that really gives access to quality, low-cost goods to the very people who need them.”