What do you do when you have no more use for your sofa?

Maybe it’s a bit worn or maybe you’re completely changing your style, but that doesn’t mean it should be the end of the sofa’s life. Someone else could use it, once it has passed through the reuse network and had a bit of TLC.

On the other end of the deal are those who want to furnish their homes with affordable items or the creative folk searching for a ‘vintage’ piece. Similarly, some people prefer furniture with a history that hasn’t taken all the resources needed to make it just for their individual use.

Unless you know where to look, this can be a challenge.
That’s why LCRN is working with support funding from the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB) to develop our vision for the London Reuse Network.

Facing the public as an online portal and central phone number as well as a kitemark for hubs and outlets spread throughout the city, it will be the one-stop-shop for reuse collections, restorations, and redistribution in London and represent an important element of the movement towards waste minimization. The Mayor has acknowledged the significant role reuse will play in his vision for the city.

But aren’t there already reuse organizations out there? Yes, and we are not reinventing the wheel, nor discrediting their achievements so far. We’re just facilitating their efforts and offering an integrated and strategic approach. Basically, we’re getting them to work together to build on each of their strengths and ensure a consistent message reaches the city, while adding some infrastructural boosts to their services (warehouses, IT, marketing). Many of these organisations and charity shops have admitted to turning down public donations because they lack the resources to accommodate.

To put this in perspective, look at the numbers.

Aside from these tonnage targets, there are other obvious benefits from this project. Everyone involved in reuse testifies to the high job satisfaction of diverting significant quantities of waste to reclaimed items. And better yet, it will create more of these satisfying jobs. As more London residents access these reuse services, we’ll need more workers with the increase in vans (don’t worry, these will be fuel efficient), warehousing, and repair/ remanufacture workshops. And we won’t throw them in blind. Part of our funding is allocated to training and social outcomes.

The other benefit of this is that, at present, there is no central space that collates the amount of reuse collected and passed on in London. There are some interesting websites out there reporting on waste and recycling, but they’re somewhat restricted on reuse figures. Local Authorities abide by the DEFRA guidance, to count and report on reuse tonnages based on formal agreements only.

In addition, there is a lot of positive reuse activity happening online (eg. freecycle, gumtree) but none of this is really recorded in one place. The London Reuse Network will strive to document all of these interactions and help London gauge its progress on reuse diversion by quantifying the amount of items diverted for reuse in London.