Reuse charities and social enterprises prevented 125,000 tonnes of household furniture and electrical items from going to landfill in 2019, up 4% on the previous year.
The numbers come from the Reuse Network in its 2019 Impact Report released on Friday, which reported that 3.7 million furniture and electrical items last year were reused, compared with 3.5 million in 2018.
The 2019 social impact report was released on Friday, February 1
The Reuse Network supports more than 200 reuse charities across the UK to help them “alleviate poverty, reduce waste and tackle climate change”,
In May 2018 it rebranded, changing its name from the Furniture Reuse Network, as part of efforts to “give a better illustration of the value of a donation”( see letsrecycle.com story).
The charity aims to divert “millions” of usable household items from landfill to vulnerable people’s houses by working with its members, the public and commercial partners to build “meaningful” connections.
Reducing waste through reuse not only prevents essential items from going to landfill, but also provides low income households with household and electrical items at affordable prices, the organisation said. As outlined below, the Reuse Network says it helped 1.6 million households in the UK.
‘Difficult’
Despite a challenging market for retail businesses, Craig Anderson, Reuse Network CEO said he wass pleased the sector has been able to step up to help low income households.
“The last few years have been difficult for many reuse organisations, as we received reports of charities closing their doors due to financial constraints and austerity,” he explained.
Mr Anderson added: “In spite of this, the reuse sector has stepped up to ensure that low income households continue to access affordable furniture and electrical items. Our commercial partners, including John Lewis & Partners, IKEA and DixonsCarphone are instrumental in supporting members of the Reuse Network and their beneficiaries in accessing good quality items at affordable prices thanks to donations and takeback schemes.”
Alongside the 125,000 tonnes of household waste saved, 134,850 tonne of Co2 emissions were also saved, the report added.
Related links
Reuse Network
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
