Second Hand… Doesn’t Cost the Earth

World Recycling Day is around the corner, Saturday 18th March, a day that aims to promote the vitality of recycling across the globe. It is a day for action, for communities to come together to put the planet first.

We’re using the day (and days round) as an opportunity to champion the circular economy and raise awareness of the volume of items that can be recycled, reused and reimagined, and kept out of landfill.

Our latest campaign, Doesn’t Cost The Earth is built upon the newly released Circular Economy Report and the insight that some people still think second hand can be low quality, or that second hand platforms are full of items that belong on the skip. Setting up “shop” (or rather..set up skip) at London’s busiest train station, we’re shining a light on just some of the amazing items that can be found on our platform. From an exercise bike to computers, furniture to prams.

Whatsmore, lucky commuters will have the chance to win the items via their interactive Gumtree claw machine. We'll be in London's Waterloo Station from 13th March until 21st March.


Consumption that Doesn’t Cost the Earth

The statistics behind the campaign are staggering. Across the UK, three million household items were sent directly to landfill between 2019-2021, at an estimated cost of £105m*.

However, if each of these items of working dishwashers, washing machines, freezers and microwaves were rehomed instead of being discarded in landfill, it’s estimated this could save an average of 288 million kg carbon**, the equivalent of 1,663 return flights between London and Sydney****.

Aside from having a huge environmental impact, there is also a financial one to rehoming and recycling rather than binning. Gumtree’s 2022 Circular Economy Report found that the average Brit has 56 unwanted items around the home – worth an average £186 in total if they were to be sold.
Moreover, when it comes to white goods, data from Gumtree shows that there’s further money to be made with second hand dishwashers retailing for an average of £106, washing machines £154, freezers £85 and microwaves £38.

For more on our campaign follow us across social and for details of the competition click the button above.


Methodology
Research conducted by Censuswide in the UK between 16th January 2023 and 23rd January 2023 of 5,000 nationally representative consumers aged 16+. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.

*FOI requests were sent to all local councils in England (333). In total, 169 councils responded to the request within the agreed cut off date of 20th September 2021.

**The data for Gumtree’s carbon emission savings calculator is taken from the official UK Government analysis of the carbon footprint of UK residents. It is available to view online here: https://www.gov. uk/government/statistics/uks-carbon-footprint.

The statistics are provided using a model, developed at the University of Leeds, that calculates the embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) associated with the production of all goods and services consumed in the UK. The data provides an average carbon footprint for the product and may not be tied to the price listed on these examples. It also does not take into account that there could be any variation within the sector dependent on the specific product or brand.

***According to the UK Government and University of Leeds, heating a home for one day = 6.3kg carbon. 96 kg x 3 million = heating a home for 606.8 days

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