There are many reasons why furniture may be deemed as waste and disposed of, but when you throw away a broken office chair or a side table with a drawer missing, are you sure that you are taking the most appropriate action, both for environmental purposes, and for your pocket? With a range of options available for waste collection in London, this blog investigates the practicalities, costs and benefits of each.
Defining Furniture Waste:
Furniture may be disposed of when it is damaged beyond economic repair and represents a cost burden and a safety concern to businesses and individuals. Sometimes furniture will be replaced when still completely serviceable because it no longer matches the home or business decor or is showing signs of wear that are deemed unacceptable.
Most furniture is made from metal, wood, foam and plastic, and much of it can be repurposed or recycled with the appropriate know how. Further waste associated with furniture is the cardboard packaging that most new furniture is delivered in which should always be recycled.
1. Donate to charity
The first option for disposing of unwanted but usable furniture is to donate it to a charity shop who will sell it on. This option is free for both individuals and businesses and benefits the charity, the business which doesn't have to pay for disposal and the individual who buys the furniture at a much lower cost than if they bought it new. Many charities offer a collection service for bulky items, so it is worth contacting a few different charities to see if any of them would be interested in taking on your unwanted furniture. This option also reduces the carbon footprint of the furniture by extending its life.
2. Donate to upcycling organisations
If the furniture is damaged, then a good option is to upcycle it. These organisations will accept worn and slightly damaged used furniture with the aim of repairing and restoring it for onward sale. This option allows individuals and businesses to pass on the furniture that they no longer want at no cost and with the knowledge that it will have an extended lifetime and a lower overall carbon footprint.
3. Re-use
Individuals with the time and inclination may choose to upcycle their furniture themselves, either to restore it to a condition that they deem acceptable to keep and continue using, or to sell on for a profit. Again, this has environmental benefits as well as saving on the cost of buying new furniture.
4. Recycle
Another way of disposing of unwanted furniture is by recycling it. This allows furniture that is damaged beyond repair or unsuitable for upcycling to be broken into its component parts and the elements that can be recycled are used again.
This includes metal components which are melted down and re-used, plastics which can be pelletised for creating new plastic-based products and wood which can be used to make new composite items or, in certain cases, shredded for use in animal bedding. Polyurethane Foam, which is most commonly used to pad chairs and sofas, is entirely recyclable and can be ground down to be used again.
In order to ensure that your unwanted and broken furniture is appropriately recycled, it can be helpful to break it into its component parts prior to delivering it to the recycling centre, or for businesses who are not allowed to use council recycling centres for their waste, ensuring that their chosen waste disposal company will recycle all elements that are suitable for this purpose.
Recycling at council recycling centres is free for individuals but businesses will incur a cost for disposing of unwanted furniture via an appropriate waste disposal company.
5. Use council waste collection in London
There is no roadside waste collection service in London for bulky items. However, some boroughs offer a collection service for residents. Free furniture waste collection is not available to businesses that will need to employ the services of a licensed waste carrier to dispose of unwanted items of furniture responsibly. Disposing of furniture to landfill should be the last resort.
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