The recent real estate boom in Iceland means that more and more Icelanders are not only buying new houses but also refurbishing them.
Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, RÚV, reports that Icelanders in the Greater Reykjavík Area dispose of about 60 to 70 tons of furniture and household goods per month.
The furniture and household goods are are given The Good Shepherd, a charity run by SORPA, a firm that coordinates solid waste disposal for the City of Reykjavík and six other municipalities.
The proceeds of SORPA´s operation are given to charities. According to Jón Ólafur Vilhjálmsson, director of the Good Shepherd, the quantity of used goods given away increased substantially after real estate boom got going. Recently, virtually new furniture is being disposed of.
RÚV reports that four charities that founded the Good Shepherd the Icelandic Red Cross, the Icelandic Church Aid, the Salvation Army and and the Committee for Support of Mothers recently gave ISK 5 million to the Icelandic MS Association, the MND Association and the MG Association and a church related charity.
According to SORPA, the Good Shepherd opens up a way to keep products such as furniture, cooking utensils and electric appliances – still in good order – from going to waste, finding them new homes. Such is the main aim of the market: prolonging the life of household goods, promoting reuse and reducing what goes to the landfill site.
