Don’t be part of the furniture, stand up to waste!

Smart moves to declutter and upcycle furniture

There's too much furniture going to waste and we want to do something about it. If you'd like to know how to responsibly dispose of or reduce furniture waste, being more environmentally aware, then we have some tips for you.

Handle with chair

If your furniture can’t be reused, you can either book a bulky waste collection with your district or borough council or take it to any of Surrey's Community Recycling Centres (CRCs).

When at your local CRC, ask site staff where to dispose of it. Once deposited, wooden furniture is used to make fuel for biomass facilities and metal furniture is turned back into raw metal.

Furniture with upholstered seating commonly contains harmful pollutants and should be disposed of separately, read our advice on disposing of upholstered seating.

Sofa, so good? Let's continue...

If your furniture is still in good condition, it might be suitable for reuse. In which case, you've got lots of options - top drawer!

• take it to any CRC in Surrey; it could be resold at one of Surrey's Revive shops or repaired by prisoners learning skills before being sold
• request a collection from a local charity that collects and resells furniture
• take it to a local charity shop that resells furniture
• sell or give away your furniture online

Find the perfect centre-piece

If you want to reduce furniture waste then buy second-hand, upcycle what you’ve got or repair your existing furniture. You can visit:

• any of the Revive shops at some of our CRCs
• specialist furniture reuse charities and social enterprises
• charity shops that sell furniture
• second hand furniture websites and marketplaces

The county also has furniture repairers and restorers galore. Best of all, you could even learn furniture repair or upcycling skills in Surrey by taking part in a local workshop or class.

For more information and links to explore all the above, visit the Surrey Environment Partnership website.

Thanks for reading and, if our puns have put you off, we’re sorry, we’ve only got ourshelves to blame!