Mattress scheme celebrated on Challenge Poverty Week.
North Ayrshire Council’s Recycling team recently received recognition for a scheme that help residents find affordable mattresses.
The council joined forces with Cunninghame Furniture Recycling Company (CFRC), in Irvine, to collect, sanitise and redistribute reusable mattresses through a bulky waste reuse service.
At this year’s Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) the delighted team picked up the gold award for waste and recycling.
As part of Challenge Poverty Week, Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, visited the Irvine base to meet the team and find out more.
Quote: This is a fantastic initiative. While a mattress might seem like a normal household commodity, they can be very expensive and out of the reach for some people. The scheme gives people another cheaper, affordable option and really makes a massive difference. We have a long standing partnership with Cunninghame Furniture and really value their support and the work they carry out.
Quote from: Councillor Tony Gurney,
Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy
Funding for the initiative – just over £36,000 - came through the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF) and it was launched in 2022.
CFRC noticed an increase in demand from customers for reusable mattresses, and this led to a call for more donations through its alliance with the council, the Scottish Welfare Fund and the Circular Communities Scotland (CCS) reuse consortium.
Quote: This successful project, delivered in partnership with North Ayrshire Council, was driven by demand following an initial pilot scheme to provide reuse mattresses to successful applicant of the Scottish Welfare Fund and delivered through CCS consortium.
Quote from: Scott Mould,
Head of CFRC
“Since then it has exploded with CFRC seeing a ten fold increase in donated mattresses, saving them from landfill and fly tipping and providing them with a new life. Most importantly it provides quality mattresses to those in need and to those on a budget. The environmental and social impact is huge and we have several partner organisations nationally who are now interested in delivering a similar project. Projects like this are difficult to deliver and are a testament to the excellent partnership working between both organisations for the betterment of North Ayrshire.”
The project has created training and employment opportunities, and offers a low cost, credible alternative for residents hoping to furnish their homes on a budget.
Specially trained staff at CFRC clean and sanitise the mattresses to remove bacteria, viruses, odours and any marks using high pressure and steam to make them ready for resale. There is a collection service for donations.
The council’s Customer Services advisers already provided reused furniture for Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) customers, and the opportunity to get a reused mattress was added to the offer.
In 2023 the initiative:
- collected 1,082 mattresses for sanitisation processing, and reuse or recycling, 82% of which were sold for reuse, with the remaining 18% being recycled by partner organisation Kingsize
- supported around 900 families through the provision of affordable mattresses and beds, while permitting the SWF budget to support more vulnerable families
- diverted 26.933 tonnes of waste from disposal
- helped save 71,412 kg of carbon.
The income and support funding helps CFRC to support the delivery of a wide range of environmental, socio-economic and employment and training benefits to the communities of North Ayrshire.
Find out more about mattress reuse.
Published: 07 October 2024