Problem
Over 25 years ago, Caerphilly County Borough Council noticed an increase in the amount of reusable household goods being discarded at the Council's network of Household Recycling Centres. This behaviour was attributed to an emerging ‘throwaway’ lifestyle adopted by an increasing number of higher-earning residents in the community. At the time, many household furnishings and appliances were being disposed of as waste, despite their potential for reuse or repurposing.
Recognising that not all residents were in this stronger financial position, the Council identified an opportunity to redistribute these valuable resources across communities. The Council aimed to divert functional items from the waste stream thereby supporting those with lower incomes.
Solution
Over the past 25 years, Caerphilly County Borough Council has collaborated with the third sector and private sector to provide residents with practical repair and reuse support to promote waste prevention, supporting the wider community and effectively diverting items from waste streams.
A flagship project, The Furniture Revival, is an independent charity developed in 1999 in partnership with Groundwork Wales. The Furniture Revival offers:
- Free collection of reusable furniture, small electrical items, and white goods throughout the South Wales valleys. Collected items are cleaned, repaired, and tested before they are sold back into the community at affordable prices.
- Membership of The Reuse Network. This allows the project to access useable but unsold goods from retailers and manufacturers, providing high-quality, affordable items to residents in need.
- Emergency response delivery of beds and other furniture within a 48-hour window for individuals and families being rehomed, working closely with local housing associations and charities.
- A community hub, which gradually developed as part of the shop, The hub now regularly hosts the Caerphilly Uniform Exchange and the Rhymney Valley Foodbank, providing social benefits to the community.
A more recent collaboration between the Council and Wastesavers saw the opening of a new reuse shop in 2022, alongside the existing Penallta Recycling Centre. The Penallta Reuse Shop further extends the offering for residents to reuse and repair through:
- Taking items from Reuse and Recycling Centres (RRCs), alongside accepting donations from residents directly.
- A recycling programme delivering new skills, employment support, and volunteer opportunities to residents, targeting a triple bottom line of environmental, social, and economic sustainability through a partnership with the local charity Growing Space, established in 2022.
- Developing sustainable skills, with participants and volunteers taught how to upcycle household items that would otherwise require disposal.
- Supporting residents during the cost-of-living crisis by selling quality household items at accessible prices.
Impact
The Furniture Revival is seen as a centre of excellence for furniture reuse in Wales. The project plays a major role in diverting material from the waste stream and provides a valuable community asset for residents.
With many accomplishments since 1999, recent figures demonstrate its hefty contribution as a local reuse initiative. From April 2024 to January 2025, The Furniture Revival has:
- Served 6,068 individuals in the community and provided 3,302.7 volunteer hours.
- Successfully prevented over 202 tonnes of furniture and electrical items from becoming waste.
- Facilitated the donation of 13,484 items for repair and reuse from 1,972 households, and 4,059 customers have purchased items.
Since opening, the Penallta Reuse Shop has also yielded significant environmental, social and economic benefits for Caerphilly residents and the Council including:
- Diverting 115 tonnes of items from the waste stream in its first year of opening, pushing them up the waste hierarchy. In 2024, it was reported that the shop diverted around 3,000kg of items away from disposal a month.
- Establishing itself as the top-performing reuse shop operated by Wastesavers in 2024 in terms of diverting items from the waste stream, with an average of 550 items being diverted every week.
The repair and reuse provisions by the Council showcase how items can stay in use for longer, preventing tonnes of waste through effective working partnerships, and are a real example of a circular economy in action. In addition to the positive environmental impact of these two projects, it is important to acknowledge the social benefits. Reuse and repair foster a sense of community, encouraging a culture of sustainability, and providing affordable options for those in need, thereby promoting social equity.