Second-hand furniture sales soar as credit crunch bites

DEMAND for second-hand furniture is rocketing as people hit by the credit crunch go hunting for bargains.

The Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) has reported enormous growth in the number of white goods, sofas, tables and other furniture being snapped up by those feeling the pinch.

Organisers think anxiety over money due to the credit crunch could be partly responsible, as well as a growing awareness of the need to help the environment by sending off furniture to be reused rather than dumping it in the tip.

New figures show 105,000 people a year are making use of the scheme, compared with 30,000 five years ago. It means 14,000 tonnes of furniture a year that would have been sent to landfill is now being reused.

The CRNS scheme encourages householders to send unwanted furniture to one of 56 outlets across Scotland, rather than taking it to the tip. It is then either given to homeless people or sold at a low cost to members of the public looking for a bargain.

Last year, 65,000 of the people who made use of the initiative were homeless or on low incomes. The other 40,000 were members of the public who opted not to go to a traditional furniture store.

Linsay Chalmers, furniture projects co-ordinator for the not-for-profit scheme, said she thought the economic climate was helping to boost interest in the scheme, even among those with high salaries.

"The credit crunch is having an impact," she said. ''We have lots of items, in fact, something for every room of the house. You could stock your entire house from here.''

But she said they could do with more white goods such as washing machines and fridges. All items are cleaned up, tested and given safety certificates before put up for sale.

Five years ago, there was not enough furniture to be able to sell it to members of the public, and anyone who wanted it had to be homeless and get a referral from their local authority.

Now, with instability in the housing market and fewer people choosing to move, Ms Chalmers fears less furniture will become available for the scheme.

"I think there will probably be a dip in supply because a lot of people who donate are moving house," she said.

"The drop in people moving will have a big impact as we get donations from people who do not want to take all their possessions with them."

Kevin O'Shaughnessy, who runs the Edinburgh Furniture Initiative, which is part of the scheme, said: "It's astonishing the generosity of individuals and how much they think about not wasting, and supporting people."

Neil Lovelock, the CRNS network manager, thinks politicians are one group who could do more to help, by buying more reused items – and donating their unwanted ones – to keep down their expenses.

He said: "MPs would be more than welcome to buy from these local organisations, or donate their 'John Lewis' items when they are no longer of use."

The whole recycling topic will be highlighted in Glasgow on 27 August when the CRNS annual furniture conference takes place.