Looking to part ways with your favourite arm chair, one of your most comfortable sofas or an heirloom dining table?
These pieces of furniture can sometimes be extremely difficult to get rid of, especially if they’ve been pre-loved. However, there are several ways that you can find a new home for your unwanted furniture. From recycling your old furniture by donating it to a charity store to hiring a removals service to dispose of them sustainably, we want to help you find the best way to recycle your furniture.
Getting Rid of Your Unwanted Furniture Sustainably
In Sydney, over 30% of residents believe that putting unwanted items on the side of the street is good enough and that it will be picked up and reused by someone else. While the intention is good here, it is actually illegal to leave your furniture out on the curb and carries fines of up to $7,500.
Additionally, when these items are put out to face the elements they can quickly become damaged and will eventually end up in landfill regardless of whether they had been intended to or not. It also poses a safety risk for residents living on the street and will encourage your neighbours to dump items as well.
Getting rid of your furniture shouldn’t be at the expense of the environment or your neighbours. If you would like to give your unwanted items a second chance and be conscious of the environment, consider recycling furniture to clear out your clutter or repurpose your existing furniture to last longer.
Furniture Donations
Donating furniture is one of the best ways to get rid of any old chairs and lounges. These furniture donations are often then bought by students and the profits are provided to charity, making this a creative way to support the community.
Op shops like the Salvation Army, Vinnies and Lifeline will often take furniture that is still in good, usable condition. The majority of these charities will also come to pick up your furniture if it meets their guidelines.
Although op shops will accept most donations, it is important to note that they do not accept household items in poor condition such as broken furniture or stained mattresses. These items are most easily removed by one of your local furniture removal and disposal services. General charity store policies follow these guidelines:
- Most stores will accept:
- Clothing and accessories
- Toys, books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records
- Homewares
- Furniture
- Electrical goods
- Most stores won’t accept:
- Ripped, torn, soiled or stained clothing
- Broken, ripped or stained furniture
- Cracked or broken home-wares
Fixing Your Old Furniture
What’s better than replacing old furniture and spending an exuberant amount of money on new furniture? Fixing it and keeping your old furniture!
Furniture definitely can hold sentimental value, and if you’re not willing to part with your old family lounge or a rocking chair from years past, it may be a good idea to check the product warranty to see if it covers repairs. Some pieces of furniture or products will come with repair services or a lifetime warranty that you can finally call in.
Perhaps, if you’re a keen DIYer looking for a new project, you could even consider fixing your old furniture and making it feel and look brand new. Adding a unique flair to your existing furniture could be just what is needed to not only repair what is broken, but give it some new sentimental value.
However, if you don’t have the technical know how or interest in a new DIY project for your weekends, you may be better off taking your items to a professional who can fix it for you. Repairing furniture can often be a fraction of the cost of buying new furniture. You can find a local furniture upholstery shop or local tailor to help revive your broken or aged furniture, or even support local repair organisations such as the The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre, Cycle Re-cycle Club and Sew Make Create.
While fixing a piece of furniture doesn’t necessarily mean you have to keep it, repairing an item may help you sell it for a higher price than it was originally worth.
Selling Your Furniture Online
No longer need an item or don’t have a connection to old furniture? You can make some quick money by selling it online or listing it for free on second hand marketplaces. Getting rid of your household furniture online is one of the easiest ways to get rid of bulky items such as dining tables, chairs and even bed frames as people are often willing to pick up these items or pay for delivery if they are of good quality.
Sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, eBay, Depop or Rosella Street make it very easy to clean out your house and make a bit of money on the side. eBay is generally the best way to sell newer or gently used items for close to their retail value. Gumtree is best for selling things locally or if you are selling bulky items and Facebook Marketplace is the best place to move items fast.
Facebook is one of the most popular options for selling any household item. To find places to sell your unwanted furniture easily on Facebook, search for Buy, Swap, Sell community groups that are in your area. Another option is Freecycle which is also great for giving things away.
While it may seem quicker to just chuck your lounge out on the side of the road, you’ll have much better luck connecting with people who want your items online.
Re-Purposing Or Upcycling Your Furniture
Re-purposing household items into works of art and other displays can also be another great way to reduce waste while still creating a cleaner and more vibrant home. The raw materials from old furniture can often be turned into things like desks, picture frames and more! This is a great activity to do with the kids while making your home unique and tasteful.
Furniture Removal and Disposal Services
If your furniture is not in great condition or on the bulkier side, you’ll need the help of professional furniture removalists. Most of these services are quite cost-effective and require very little assistance from you, saving time and money.
Services like this cater to both urban and regional areas and usually take less than a day to finish as they are the experts in this field. Furniture removal services are also best when dealing with broken or stained items as they will accept almost anything, regardless of condition.
1300 Rubbish specialises in same day furniture removal and rubbish removal services are so you don’t have to worry about the heavy lifting. From general household furniture to furniture in office spaces, 1300 Rubbish’s furniture disposal service takes your furniture items and disposes of them to government regulations at a recycling facility in your local area, hassle free.
Office Furniture Removal Services
Like bulky furniture in the home, office furniture like broken chairs and unusable desks can quickly pile up quickly if left unchecked. In most cases, office furniture will be in to poor condition to be reused or resold, so the best option is to remove unwanted office furniture with a professional removals service.
Office furniture can include:
- Office chairs
- Tables
- Desks
- Filing cabinets
- Industrial lighting
- Stationary
- Office lounges
- And more!
Hiring furniture removal services for your unwanted office furniture makes your work day much more efficient, and your office much more productive, clearing space for your colleagues and clients alike.
If your business has a large quantity of unusable furniture in poor condition, there may be recycling options to help you. Visit Business Recycling to find reuse and recycling services in your area for large quantities of office furniture that can be repurposed.
Deceased Estate Furniture Removal Services
Clearing out a deceased estate with furniture that has sentimental value and memories attached can be confronting. These services are always treated with the utmost care and sensitivity with personal items are preserved and unwanted furniture or rubbish is swiftly removed from the premises in an environmentally friendly way.
Contact our friendly 1300 Rubbish team for swift and considerate deceased estate removal services.
End of Lease Furniture Removal Services
Moving house because your lease is ending and have a bunch of old furniture that you need to get rid of fast but don’t know how? While kerbside collection from your local council or a trip to the local tip may be the go-to way of getting all the furniture out of your property quickly, consider a specialist to do this for you to avoid injuries lifting heavy items.
With a professional removalists like 1300 Rubbish the whole end of lease removal process will be handled responsibly and effortlessly by our team, equipped with the right tools and know how to dispose of your unwanted furniture easily.
Local Council Free Collection Service For Furniture Disposal
Depending on what part of the country you live in, many local councils also offer free collections services to pick up items like old couches. This process often involves the homeowner having to sort their rubbish into piles depending on what type of waste they have. This then needs to be arranged out the front of the owner’s house with the council clean up crew often taking weeks to arrive.
This service can be good for smaller cleanouts but larger and contaminated items often require a removalist service and will be turned away by the council crew. Legislation varies from state to state so it is worth checking with your local council to see their exact policies.
There are many ways to dispose of unwanted furniture and rubbish, with the best approach depending on the condition and type of waste. Generally, it is always safer and more convenient to go with the experts by hiring the services of your local waste removalists!
FAQ
How Do I Get Rid of A Lot Of Junky Furniture?
Your most optimal option is to contact your local waste management authority as they may offer bulk pick-up services for large items such as furniture. Check with your local authority to see if this service is available in your area. If not, a rubbish removal service will do the trick for you.