Environment Enterprise & Transport Committee
27 May, 2010
Agenda Item No. 16
Furniture Reuse Campaign
Report by: Fraser Thomson, Head of Environmental Services
Wards Affected: All
Purpose
This report seeks to update Members on progress with respect to the Furniture
Reuse Campaign which was launched on 29th March 2010.
Recommendation(s)
It is recommended that Members 1. Note the contents in this report.
2. Note the intention to conduct a follow up campaign later this year
Resource Implications
There are no resource implications associated with this report.
Legal & Risk Implications
The Furniture reuse Campaign discussed in this report will help reduce the
following risks:

Failure to meet landfill diversion targets.

Financial penalties for failing to meet obligations under the Landfill Allowance
Scheme.

Exposure to excessive landfill tax costs.
Policy & Impact Assessment
The proposals contained within this report are consistent with the Council's Zer0
Waste to Landfill Policy and the Big 8 objectives of becoming the Leading Green
Council and a Top Performing Council.
Consultation
The following have been consulted in the production of this report:

The Executive Director of Finance and Procurement

The Executive Director of POS

The Fife Area Waste Group Co-ordinator
1.0 Background
Furniture and other bulky household items are high-tonnage materials that have
been identified as often needlessly ending up in landfill sites. Fife Council already
has a partnership with Fife Furniture Plus to facilitate the reuse of furniture and
white goods. In 2008/09 this resulted in the recovery for reuse of 831 tonnes of
MSW.
However the option to reuse furniture and other household items has not previously
been well promoted to householders, despite a number of reuse organisations
active in Fife. The main methods of disposal for householders hitherto have been:
a. to arrange a bulky uplift collection from the Council for a fee, following which the
item would be landfilled.
b. to transport the waste to one of the council’s Recycling Centres where the item
would be prepared for recycling.
Neither of the above options enables items to be prepared for reuse.
2.0 Issues and Options
2.1 Campaign Objectives
In partnership with local social enterprise companies, to prepare and make available
used furniture and other bulky waste items for reuse, and in doing so, meet the
following goals:



Reducing the amount of waste that is landfilled
Reducing the amount of virgin materials and energy being used in making new
items.
Making serviceable, pre used goods available to householders at affordable
cost.
These objectives were pursued by using the following tools and techniques:

Raising public awareness of how to dispose of used furniture and other
household items.

Encouraging the reuse of furniture and household items through community
sector organisations thereby supporting local people, local jobs and the local
economy.

Focussing more of the council’s attention on the reuse part of the waste
hierarchy.

Increasing the number of furniture and households goods diverted via the
council’s Contact Centre by encouraging householders to donate their used
furniture to reuse organisations as the first option.
2.2 Partnership Working
Fundamental to the delivery of the campaign is the partnership between Fife
Council and the following organisations:,

Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS)

Waste Aware Scotland (now part of Zero Waste Scotland)

Fife Furniture Plus Limited

Castle Furniture Project

Matrix Fife
These organisations play a key role in collecting, repairing, displaying and selling
items that are discarded by householders.
2.3 Key Messages to Public

Supply of donations to community reuse organisations is dropping as a result of
the recession.

Fifers are urged to help vulnerable people in their community as well as the
environment by donating good quality furniture and other household goods for
reuse instead of sending it to landfill.

Local retailers are being asked to support the campaign.
2.4 Key dates
Launch period: Monday 29th March – Sunday 11th April 2010
Subsequent campaign bursts:

5th June 2010 - Pass It On Day, event and press release

September 2010 – Follow-up press release ‘Thank You Fife’, also a good time
for ‘clear out, new term’, and similar messages in a press release to reinforce
call to action to donate. Promotional events and advertising if budget is
available.
2.5 Promotional Activities

Mailing of A5 guide to furniture reuse in Fife, sent to every household in Fife in
the week commencing 29th March.

Awareness-raising events in shopping centres, supermarkets and Farmers'
Markets, during the weeks following the mailing to reinforce the messages.

Retailer engagement - A point of sale leaflet has been produced for display by
furniture retailers with the message “If you’ve got your eye on a new one…can
we get our hands on your old one?” to encourage people to think about what
they will do with the old when buying something new.

Media - Press ads in all Fife publications and a 30 second ad on Kingdom FM

A4 posters displayed in Fife Council premises and send out to community
councils and community groups.

Web - “reuse” page on www.fifedirect.org.uk/wasteaware updated and an online
banner placed on the home page of fifedirect.org.uk.

Payslip message - April payslip of all Fife Council employees
2.6 Monitoring
The campaign is being monitored by observing or recording:

Changes in number of donations and enquires to reuse organisations

Changes in number of special uplift request to the Contact Centre

Changes in tonnage of furniture and other household items sent to landfill

Changes to number of members of the Fife Freecycle and Freegle groups

Anecdotal evidence from speaking to the public, reuse organisations and
Contact Centre staff

Website hits to the Waste and Recycling pages on fifedirect.
Monitoring results will form the basis for a business case for further developments in
this area.
3.0 Outcomes to Date
Early evidence indicates that since the start of the campaign:
1. Email and telephone enquires to all participating reuse organisations have
increased at least two-fold.
2. Donations of furniture and other household items collected so far by Furniture
Plus and Castle Furniture are generally good quality and no relative increase in
poor quality donations has been observed.
3. All participating reuse organisations are coping well with the increase in
donations.
4. Matrix Fife which provides a refurbishment and re-upholstery service has
received extra business as well as numerous other enquiries.
5. Direct conversations with Fife residents through Waste Aware Fife promotional
activities shows that public attitudes are positive towards the campaign and that
awareness of how to reuse unwanted furniture and household items locally has
increased.
6. Membership of local online networks Freegle and Freecyle has increased since
the start of the campaign: although it’s not possible to attribute this to the
Furniture Reuse Campaign, applications to West Fife Freecycle group have
been running at almost double their usual rate and the Central Fife Freegle
group has seen an increase in postings.
7. Retailers of new furniture have, on the whole, responded positively to the
campaign and the majority have agreed to display leaflets in their shops.
8. Follow-on campaign bursts in June and September will serve to reinforce the
message, remind people that only good quality items should be donated, and
thank the public for their extremely positive response to the campaign.
4.0 Conclusions
A furniture reuse campaign was launched in late March in partnership with the
Community Recycling network and three local social enterprise companies. Key
objectives are reducing waste to landfill, moving waste up the hierarchy, and
providing affordable, quality goods to Fife households. Early, anecdotal indications
are that the campaign is delivering on these objectives.
Background Papers
Zer0 Waste Plan - "Towards a Zer0 Waste Fife" (Copies are available on FISH and Fife
Direct)
Report Contacts
Catherine Dickey
Technical Officer (Zero Waste)
Kingdom House
Glenrothes
08451 55 55 55 + 440274
catherine.dickey@fife.gov.uk
Stephanie Newstead
Environmental Strategy Officer
Kingdom House
Glenrothes
08451 55 55 55 + 440294
stephanie.newstead@fife.gov.uk