Eternal Benefits Furniture

Introduction

• Households on low incomes benefit from reuse
• 4,000 fewer bulky items a year go to landfill
• The local authority has made considerable savings

Summary

Eternal Benefits Furniture (EBF) was set up as a charity in November 2000 to provide households on low incomes with access to good-quality nearly new furniture. Out of this initiative has developed a sister organisation, ReRun, which does a similar thing with domestic appliances. This valuable recycling option helps to divert furniture and appliances from going to landfill: in 2006, EBF delivered over 4,000 items ranging from dining tables to orthopaedic beds. The only cost to the recipients is collection and delivery.

In order to set up ReRun, several members of the EBF team undertook fast-track domestic appliance service engineer and testing courses, run by Dixon Training, with support from Social Enterprise Humber (a not-for-private-profit company co-funded by Yorkshire Forward). They now repair washing machines in the community as well as supplying donated appliances to their clients. In a spin-off benefit, Dixon Training now runs the courses on ReRun’s premises, paying rent as they do so.

Local authorities have seen the advantages of using these services. Residents who call the council to have their fridges, freezers, washers, cookers, and 3-piece suites collected are given the option of donating them, if they are good enough to reuse, to EBF. EBF guarantees to collect free of charge within 7 working days.

The local authorities cover the EBF’s costs: they save about £50 every time they avoid having to dismantle a fridge, and another £50 a tonne to avoid landfill.

What is Yorkshire Forward’s connection with this initiative?
Social Enterprise Yorkshire & Humber is co-funded by Yorkshire Forward.

If you want to know more or would like to donate items to EBF, please contact them on 01482 801320

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