Furniture re-use groups in some parts of England are coping with submerged warehouses and contaminated goods, as the floods bring unprecedented demand for refurbished furniture and appliances.

But there are concerns within the sector about a lack of warehouse space and whether demand for goods can be met if the heavy rain continues.


The Furniture Re-use Network, the national umbrella organisation for 13,000 people involved in charitable re-distribution of unwanted items including furniture and electronic goods, is trying to link up its members who have an excess of items in some parts of the country with those supplying flooded areas.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com today, Paul Smith, chief executive of the FRN said: “The FRN is coordinating a response for the homes affected by the floods through our 400 reuse organisations, working with local authorities and flood relief associations.”

“Some of our members are potentially losing money because they are putting out the furniture for free. However they feel it is their duty and within their remit to respond to the disaster,” Mr Smith added.

However, one of the key difficulties is that in areas of highest demand for refurbished furniture, including parts of Gloucestershire and in Hull, some re-use groups have found their own warehouses caught by flood waters.

FRN members normally handle around 2.5 million items a year, but expectations are that high levels of demand for re-used goods will continue long after the water levels subside. “We are doing as much as we can, however we expect there will be a greater need in the coming weeks when the water subsides and people return to their homes,” the FRN chief said.

South and Midlands

Furniture re-use organisations tend to be located close to socially deprived areas, where distribution of goods is usually targeted at low-income families. As a result areas like Oxford only have limited coverage from re-use groups.

Mr Smith warned that that if the heavy rain was to continue as predicted, there would be “demand problems” around the Thames valley.

However there is work being done in the south west, including the SOFA project in Bristol, which is now coordinating a clearance of bed mattresses from leisure company Center Parcs, which are being distributed to flooded areas in the south east and south west.
We are doing as much as we can, however we expect there will be a greater need in the coming weeks when the water subsides.
 
Paul Smith, FRN

In areas such as Warwickshire, Worcester and Gloucester, the priority is getting clean water supplies through to those cut off from supplies, so demand for furniture is not yet as high. However Roundabout, which caters for the Worcestershire and Warwickshire areas, said that it is expecting a significant increase in demand when people start returning home.

The North

In the North of England, there is a demand for items such as beds, cookers and fridges for areas where the floods have begun to subside and people are already moving back into their homes.

The Furniture Resource Centre in Liverpool is supplying furniture to the housing association in the Yorkshire area for people who haven’t got insurance. However, Mr Smith added: “Funnily enough there is a bigger demand for furniture from people who do have insurance, as they will have a while to wait for their insurance to come through.”

In terms of supply Mr Smith said there are lots of refurbishment groups in the north and in Hull taking in items, where there is now a fast turnover for furniture. “As quickly as the organisation is getting donations they are being distributed,” he said.

Lack of warehouse space in Hull has been adding to the difficulties of storing donations.

Flooded warehouses

In Gloucester, The Furniture Recycling Project’s white goods warehouse and its furniture warehouse on the Gloucester docks have been flooded out. The organisation says it needs more vehicles and crew to “deal with the demand”.

Eternal Benefits in Hull is working on one warehouse rather than two because of flooding, and Cheltenham Reclaim has also been ‘slightly flooded’ but has lost stock and is looking to replenish its stocks.

The flooding also raises questions about the hygiene of the stock as Mr Smith explained: “The flood water has the potential to be contaminated from sewage, therefore we will be unable to reuse the furniture and it will have to go to landfill or back to the reprocessors.”

Mr Smith said: “The network’s general view is not to put things out unless you are absolutely sure they are hygienic, however we have no official advice from environmental health officers as yet.”