Our subsidiary charity Refurbs supports the environmental well-being agenda by conserving and protecting the physical and natural environment through the promotion of sustainable waste management practices.
Contracted by Flintshire County Council and taking in donations of unwanted items, Refurbs collects bulky household waste and where possible repairs and recycles unwanted household items and white goods for reuse. Protecting our environment, reducing fly-tipping and alleviating both furniture poverty and poverty as a whole through this service as well as reducing CO2 emissions generated by manufacturing new products.
In 2016 we piloted a sofa deconstruction project, breaking the furniture down into the component parts of wood, metal, fabric and plastic for recycling. To date, 95% of these unwanted items, with an overall weight of 477 tonnes, have been diverted from landfill by refurbs.
In addition to the immense environmental impacts refurbs relieves unemployment and provides economic well-being impacts by improving the employability of disadvantaged individuals through the provision of work placement, training and volunteering opportunities.
Darren
“Before joining Refurbs I had never worked, my days were spent in boredom, staying home and helping my mum around the house. I came to Refurbs on a work placement for 6 months, the people were very friendly and I helped out in the Joinery Department repairing and preparing donated furniture for sale. At the end of the 6 months Refurbs offered me a position as Carpentry Assistant, this made me very happy. I am now a more confident person because of the opportunity Refurbs has provided. For 2 days of the week I am responsible for the department and this gives me more confidence, I hope to progress at Refurbs and gain more responsibility and experience.”
