05 August

Ikano Bank proud to support Operation Orphan’s new mattress recycling scheme

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Operation Orphan exists to keep orphans and vulnerable children safe, warm, healthy and learning. They are a charity that operates in the UK and globally, and where the need is greatest, looking for areas where there are little to no other agencies operating, so as to reduce duplication.

They are proactive in their responses, ensuring they identify, make safe and keep safe children who are orphaned. Reasons for their engagement could be due to extreme poverty or crisis situations including natural and man-made disasters.

Waste Nott Want Nott When the pandemic hit, Operation Orphan like many other charities, were hit hard and saw a dramatic drop in fundraising activity and donations.

Although times were challenging, they grasped the opportunity to look at other ways they can make a difference, which heralded the birth of Waste Nott Want Nott. A local initiative to collect and fully recycle unwanted mattresses, sofas and bed bases focused on sustainability, whilst generating much needed funds to continue all the great work they do.

Why mattress recycling matters

• More than 7.3 million mattresses per year are disposed of in the UK
• Currently only around 20% (1.4 million) of these are recycled
• That means nearly 6 million mattresses are being sent to landfill or incinerated every year
• Mattresses take up 10 times more landfill space compared to other wastes

(Source: End of Life Mattress Report 2019, Oakdene Hollins and Bed Advice UK)

Mattresses are bulky to collect, transport & store. They are complex to recycle and require specialist machinery.

Sadly because of this, it still costs more to transport and recycle a mattress than to send it to landfill.

100% recycled and zero to landfill Waste Nott Want Nott are committed to ensuring mattresses are fully recycled and nothing goes to landfill.

• For a fee they will come and collect mattresses in their local Nottingham and Derby areas
• The fee covers collection, recycling and carbon offsetting by planting a tree

All of the excess revenue is then paid directly back in to the Operation Orphan charity benefitting vulnerable children.

The flock is formed into solid fuel used to create greener energy and cement The metal is recycled The foam is re-used to make budget beds where possible and off cuts used to make animal bedding and sound proofing

Ikano Bank are thrilled to be able to help them in their quest By committing to a monthly donation, this has enabled the charity to invest in a new dedicated van to increase capacity for item collection and transportation to the recycling hub, meaning less mattresses going to landfill.

Find out more about Operation Orphan and Waste Nott Want Nott

 

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