Buy nothing new this Black Friday, says Wiltshire charity

BBC Daniel Thompson smiles at the camera. He is wearing glasses and a black hoodie. He is wearing a novelty Christmas tree hat. Blurred behind him is a warehouse full of furniture and appliances. — Daniel Thompson from the charity – which gets a wide variety of donations – said the reuse sector is “growing”

A reuse charity is asking people to consider second hand this Black Friday as part of an alternative national campaign called Buy Nothing New.

Kennet Furniture Refurbiz (KFR), based in Devizes, Wiltshire, collects second hand donations of furniture, homeware and appliances and is part of the national reuse network, a group of organisations which take on items to help others and sell affordably.

KFR said it has passed on about 18,000 items, weighing about 340 tonnes over the last year.

Daniel Thompson, managing director at KFR, said: “We’ve just got to get our message out there. The reuse sector is growing, is rapidly more accepted into society.”

KFR refurbishes second hand appliances like washing machines

Looking down two rows of washing machines stacked in a warehouse. They are all different as they are second-hand. — KFR refurbishes second hand appliances like washing machines

He believes the stigma of secondhand is going: “You’ve got various websites online where you can buy repurposed items, clothing, etc. I think reuse is on the up.

“Cost of living crisis is extreme at the moment so people don’t necessarily have the money to spend on new items for Christmas.

“We are an alternative to that. We are an alternative to the consuming on Black Friday.”

There are often Black Friday deals on appliances, but Mr Thompson explained that when they get second hand ones in to clean and refurbish, there is usually very little wrong with them, or can be quickly fixed.

He explained that while recycling some items can be a good way to go, the process still produces emissions, so “by reusing things you’re generating far less carbon”.

Of the 18,000 goods passed on last year by KFR, more than 7,000 were furniture and nearly 3,800 were electrical.

The warehouse has a second space for donations which have not made it out to the shop floor yet

A picture of a warehouse with second hand tables, chairs and beds stacked on one another. In the background, carboard boxes with flat pack furniture which are seconds or returns from companies. — The warehouse has a second space for donations which have not made it out to the shop floor yet

Jen Gale, from Warminster, Wiltshire, runs a blog and podcast called Sustainable(ish) – she and her family have previously done a year of buying nothing new.

She said that Black Friday can be useful if someone has a “specific item in mind, Black Friday can be a real helping hand in terms of some financial savings”.

“I guess it becomes problematic when it’s really just encouraging us to consume and to buy things that we didn’t know we wanted, we don’t necessarily need, and just really, encouraging that very sort of mindless and thoughtless consumption,” she said.

The smaller re-use section has lots of bric-a-brac donated at Wiltshire’s recycling centres

A row of wooden shelves with colourful smaller items: games, toys, books — The smaller re-use section has lots of bric-a-brac donated at Wiltshire’s recycling centres

KFR has found itself expanding in a few ways: earlier this year it teamed up with another charity to offer house clearances.

It has an arrangement with household recycling centres in Wiltshire and has opened a new location in Swindon too.

It is also used by the local councils to provide furniture and appliances for those in need through the household support fund – last year this helped nearly 700 households.

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