// 30% of adults throw away household items that could have been donated, sold or reused, according to new research
// A fifth of 16-24 year olds don’t actually know how to recycle or donate
// British Heard Foundation’s Reuse Revolution campaign encourages people to shop, upcycle & donate furniture
The British Heart Foundation has revealed that thousands of adults in the UK are throwing away good-quality furniture or homewares that could have been donated, sold or reused.
The charity is urging the public to donate unwanted furniture to one of its 180 home stores across Britain, in order to save goods from being sent to landfills while raising money for the charity.
In a survey of over 2000 first time buyers and renters, it was revealed that a third of adults in the UK are throwing their furniture, electrical appliances and homewares away instead of finding ways to give them a new lease of life.
The British Heart Foundation reported this could be linked to the rise of “fast furniture” – replacing items in good condition due to rapidly changing interior design trends.
READ MORE: Blacks to offer discounts to customers who donate
Findings showed that just under one in five people aged 16-24 admitted they didn’t actually know how to donate or recycle homewares.
Nearly half of Londoners have thrown away good quality furniture, electrical items and homewares.
According to the charity’s survey, the main reasons for binning items instead of recycling or donating were not having transport and the speed and ease of dumping items.
The survey forms part of the British Heart Foundation’s Reuse Revolution campaign, which encourages the nation to shop, upcycle and donate their second hand furniture.
The charity said millions more people could benefit from affordable items available second hand.
The survey also found that despite the financial pressures of buying a first home or taking on a new rental property, only two in five UK adults have bought second hand furniture and homewares.
Meanwhile, less than a third take advantage of online second hand retailers like Ebay and Gumtree.
“Last year the British Heart Foundation rescued 74,000 tonnes of items from landfill due to the generous donations of our supporters.” the charity’s retail director Allison Swaine-Hughes said.
“This month we are asking the public to join the Reuse Revolution, helping to raise funds for life-saving research in to heart and circulatory disease.
“You can simply call your local shop to arrange a free donation.”
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