During this year’s Recycle Week (21-27 September) we are celebrating saving thousands of pieces of furniture from going to landfill.
In 2019, we saved 566 tonnes of items from the waste chain – the weight equivalent of approximately 44 double decker buses. Instead of going to the tip, these second-hand items were sold in our five Emmaus charity shops across the county.
All donated items sold in our Cheltenham, Gloucester, Nailsworth and Stroud shops generates the income we need to provide a home, meaningful work, daily support and funded training for people who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion.
The theme for this year’s Recycle Week, which is now in its 17th year, is ‘Together – We Recycle’. The combined efforts of the Emmaus Gloucestershire team, together with donors, shoppers and supporters, is helping to ensure that thousands of items every week are given a longer life.
Chris, who has lived at Emmaus Gloucestershire since September 2018 following 18 months rough sleeping in Dorset and Devon, said:
“I help to collect furniture and other household items from people’s homes so we can sell them in our shops. I enjoy getting up every day knowing that the work I’m doing is not only helping to raise money for Emmaus, so it can support people like me, but it is also saving so much from going to landfill.
“We have lots of items at bargain prices and I think it’s great when customers who enjoy upcycling bring before and after photos in to show us what they have created from other people’s unwanted items. The saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure has helped us save more than 500 tonnes from going to waste.”
Our charity, which has been shortlisted in BUILD’s Recycling and Waste Management Awards 2020, is keen to take this year’s Recycle Week as an opportunity to also thank all the people who donate items to Emmaus.
Joe Feeley, Chief Executive at Emmaus Gloucestershire, said:
“We are delighted to have saved so much from landfill and this is thanks to the generous people who donate their unwanted items and to our dedicated team who work extremely hard collecting and sorting donations.
“We’re proud that our services mean that we’re doing our bit to help reduce waste in Gloucestershire, but also giving the public the opportunity to reduce the amount they throw away too. We couldn’t do our work without the public and we hope going forward that our local community continues to pull together and help us make a difference to the environment and the lives of the people we support.”
Recycle Week is a celebration of recycling, organised by WRAP under the Recycle Now brand. This year, the theme will thank the nation for continuing to recycle despite the challenges that COVID-19 has presented, under the banner ‘Together – We Recycle’.
For more information about Recycle Week visit www.recyclenow.com