Furniture Now! and Wealden District Council embark on innovative green partnership
Furniture Now! operate centres covering the Wealden district in Hailsham, Eastbourne and Lewes. Household furniture and electrical items can be expensive to buy. What is Furniture Poverty? Put simply, it is inability to afford or access the basic essential items that provide a household with a decent quality of life and the ability to participate in the norms of society. If a household does not have access to the basic appliances and items of furniture that they need to meet a minimum standard of living, then they are classed as being in Furniture Poverty. Furniture Now! provides all donated items they collect at a discounted rate to people who need them. This includes people who qualify for welfare assistance, students, and those earning less than £17,000 per year.
Many of the bulky items Wealden District Council is called to collect and dispose of are in good condition and can be reused. Embarking on a new green waste partnership, when people call the Council to arrange a bulky waste collection, they will be asked if their item is in good enough condition to donate to Furniture Now. Wealden's contact centre staff will then provide contact details for the charity to arrange a free collection. The Wealden website has more information on both services.
“We’re very pleased to be working with Furniture Now! Not only is this service cheaper for our residents, saving them the minimum charge of £55 for a bulky waste collection, but it’s better for the environment and helps those people who are unable to afford such items from brand new. We’re also thrilled to lend our support to the dedicated hard work of a local charity benefiting the Wealden community.”
Items collected by Furniture Now! include:
Bedroom furniture including beds, wardrobes and mattresses (with fire safety labels)
Household furniture including chairs, dining tables and sofas (with fire safety labels)
White goods (WEEE) such as fridge freezers, washing machines and tumble dryers
Small electrical items such as lamps, toasters, kettles and audio equipment
“In the UK, 10 million household items are sent to landfill every year, with 3 million of these items found to be in an immediately reusable state. We are delighted to build on our excellent relationship with Wealden District Council by developing a localised culture of sustainable living. We are committed to driving an innovative green partnership, which will not only benefit Wealden residents, but the environment too. Our recycling work in 2019 has reduced East Sussex’s carbon footprint by saving 135,306KG of CO2 emissions.”
