Circulary

Total Homes Co-operative is a circular social enterprise operating in Scotland’s housing industry. The Co-operative is supported as part of Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, funded by the Scottish Government and European Regional Development Fund. This programme provides funding and support for small and medium sized businesses in Scotland to be more resource efficient and create a more circular economy. Total Homes enables housing associations and landlords across Glasgow to prepare properties for new tenants, by removing furniture, clearing waste and cleaning properties. By recycling, reusing and upcycling, Total Homes aims to save 80% of what they collect from going into landfill. Total Homes are also a viable alternative to hiring a skip for property renovations, saving materials from landfill and sourcing appropriate recycling or reuse routes. Reports using up to date algorithms allows Total Homes to provide their clients with reports detailing how much waste and co2 they have saved through using their services. Total Homes’ mission is to foster a culture of reusing and recycling of household goods in Glasgow, whilst reducing waste and significantly contributing to the Scottish Government’s targets for reducing carbon emissions.

• As Total Homes is a social enterprise, all profits made are reinvested into parent organisation Connect Community Trust, which supports residents local to the East End of Glasgow, through services which provide community engagement, regeneration, sports and youth facilities.
• Partner ReConnect Glasgow, another subsidiary of Connect Community Trust, sells on a significant amount of furniture that Total Homes has salvaged, at discount prices to residents local to Glasgow’s East End.
• Since December 2018 Total Homes gas saved 46,069kg of waste from landfill, and has saved over 63,217kg of CO2 in the process.
• Total Homes Co-operative has created 10 jobs since its inception and hires in part through Community Jobs Scotland, employing staff with a history of offending and offering them stable and consistent work at the living wage.
• Since launching has completed 184 removals, saving waste and/or furniture from each property and redirecting this away from landfill.

• Uncertainty over sustained and targeted promotion by governments and councils to enable and engage public and private sector organisations and the public to use circular services. This stimulus would be of benefit to Total Homes in terms of expanding client base and revenue.

• Connect Community Trust formed in September 2003, in response to the need for a focus on regeneration within an area that at the time was designated No1 in the Scottish Index for Multiple Deprivation.
• Second Opportunities, a Furniture Reuse and White Goods Re-use Centre is open to the public acting as a second hand furniture retail space, sales from which help generate much needed income used to subsidise support to service users who are referred from a network of support agencies.

Sarah Case / Marcus McNeilly

0141 556 7085

sarah.case@total-homes.com / marcus.mcneilly@total-homes.com