Local community benefits from donation of brand new mattresses by major retailer

Press release for immediate release

Rhondda Cynon Taf community benefited from over 1,000 brand new mattresses generously donated by IKEA to toogoodtowaste, the leading re-use and recycling charity and Social Enterprise in the area last month.

Mrs Pride from Pontygwaith a customer at toogoodtowaste says: “When I heard that toogoodtowaste had new mattresses donated from a well-known retailer I was delighted. I have three children who were all needing a new mattress, but with limited monies I didn’t know how I was going to do this. Thanks to toogoodtowaste and their donator I was able to take advantage of this offer, which was truly, toogoodtomiss.”

The substantial donation from IKEA UK & Ireland of 1,188 brand new mattresses & mattress toppers of all sizes went to toogoodtowaste, a charity that is dedicated to helping those in need, community regeneration and reducing waste to landfill. This was part of a larger donation of over 8000 mattresses from IKEA, given to Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) members – UK based reuse charities and social enterprises.

Shaun England, toogoodtowaste, CEO says: “We were thrilled to hear that the Furniture Re-use Network had been working so hard on their members behalf to secure this large number of mattresses from IKEA. Working in some of the most deprived areas in Wales, the supply of these mattresses have assisted hundreds & hundreds of families, who may have been sleeping in old and unsuitable bedding, and given them clean affordable mattresses.”

The new mattresses have gone to good homes at an affordable price and flew out of the door in less than a few weeks from toogoodtowaste receiving them. This large donation was made possible thanks to the FRN – of which toogoodtowaste is a member of – and the close working relationship with IKEA UK & Ireland and the FRN has enabled local communities in the UK to access affordable items of a great quality.

Lesley Wilcox, FRN, Operations Manager says: “We’re delighted that our members and their customers have benefited so much from this fantastic donation from IKEA. The team at our Head Office in Bristol worked very hard to ensure all these mattresses went to good homes and it’s great to see the evidence of this.”

This donation has equated to over 24 tonnes of waste being diverted from incineration for energy recovery.

Joanna Yarrow, Head of Sustainability, IKEA UK and Ireland says: “At IKEA, our aim is to help as many people as possible to live a better everyday life at home, so it’s great to see these mattresses going to good homes in the local Rhondda Cynon Taf community.”

Media Contact

Claire Charras, Business Support Manager, Furniture Re-use Network: E: claire.charras@reuse-network.org.uk. T: 0117 954 3552

Katie Sibley, Marketing & Communications Officer, toogoodtowaste: E: KSibley@toogoodtowaste.co.uk. T: 01443 680 090

Notes to the editors:

• INC: attachments, photos of Mrs Pride with her 3 children, Geordie, 16, Jenson, 15 & Peyton 7. Photo Credit: Furniture Re-use Network & toogoodtowaste
• Shaun England, toogoodtowaste CEO is available for interview.
• The Furniture Re-use Network and IKEA UK & IE have been working together for more than 10 years with furniture take-back schemes across the country.

About Furniture Re-use Network

The Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) is the national representative for over 200 reuse charities in the UK. It was set-up in 1985 as response to a growing demand for furniture donation and a growth in reuse charities. According to the FRN’s annual statistics, the 200+ re-use organisations in the UK help over 1 million households through the provision of over 3 million household furniture items and electrical equipment whilst saving low income households £348million on essential goods.

For the Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) it is re-use that provides an answer to the UK’s serious waste problem – turning it into a solution for the alleviation of poverty instead. By shifting behavioural attitudes of the public and corporations and using innovative schemes such as retail take-back scheme and supporting product stewardship, the FRN is a game-changer in putting the circular economy into motion.

About toogoodtowaste

toogoodtowaste is the leading re-use charity and social enterprise operating in Rhondda Cynon Taf. They reduce waste by collecting re-usable household items and redistributing them via our charity showrooms. The income we raise enables us to help low income households and provide training and volunteering opportunities.

In 2015 toogoodtowaste received 294 applications for help which benefited 395 people, supported over 300 volunteers and placements and re-used over 537 tonnes of household items that would have otherwise been destined for landfill. Over 58,000 items were sold and selected for re-use.

About IKEA

Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people and we offer well designed, functional and affordable, high quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. The IKEA Group has 330 stores in 28 countries. In addition there are more than 40 stores run by franchisees outside the IKEA Group. The IKEA Group had 771 million visits during FY15 and 1.9 billion people visited IKEA.com www.ikea.com