Reuse event rescues almost a tonne of unwanted household goods

An event run by Orkney Islands Council, in partnership with Orkney ZeroWaste, has ensured the redistribution and reuse of almost 1000kg of unwanted household goods - diverting them from being disposed of as waste.

Two drop in sessions were held last week where local folk could bring in their unwanted household goods rather than throwing them away. Items handed in included Hi-Fi’s, speakers, phone-systems, toasters, sandwich makers, irons, deep fat fryers, printers, textiles, hoovers, toys and lots of books.

The total weight of goods brought in equated to that of two grand pianos.

Almost all of the goods have been redistributed already through local charities, therefore directly benefiting members of the community.

To encourage people to take part in the campaign, participating households were entered into a free raffle sponsored by local businesses including Highland Park, the Orkney Brewery, the Pickaquoy Centre and Judith Glue amongst others.

Jayne Venables is the Council’s Waste Strategy Officer. She said: “This is a real case of local people making a difference for local benefit. Zero Waste Scotland estimate that 150,000 tonnes of re-usable household items, including furniture, electricals and textiles are sent to landfill in Scotland every year, so we were really pleased with the amount of folk who took part in our Re-Use initiative. 

“More events will be planned during the course of the year, including as part of Pass it on Week on the 11-19th March 2017. Of course, re-use should be happening all year round, not just during these special events, so we would like to encourage people to keep things in use for as long as possible by passing on, swapping, sharing, upcycling or donating things as well.”

For more information about Pass it on Week visit the Recycle for Scotland website or to find out more about ZeroWaste Scotland, visit the Zero Waste Scotland website.