Furniture is a big waste stream and there are multiple options available when you have furniture that you no longer need. In this article, we’ll look at how to reduce furniture waste, how to reuse and repair it and we’ll explain the different options that there are for correct disposal wherever you live in Surrey.
Before you buy
Consider buying second-hand
Often, it’s personal taste that changes rather than furniture becoming unusable. Give serious thought to buying second-hand; you’ll save money and you might pick up something unique. You can buy second-hand locally from:
- The five Revive shops based at community recycling centres (CRCs) in Surrey
- One of the furniture collection charities and social enterprises below that are based in the county:
- Furnistore (operates in Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge)
- FurnitureLink Surrey (operates across Surrey)
- Furniture Helpline (operates in Guildford and Waverley)
- Kingston Community Furniture (operates in Elmbridge, Runnymede and Spelthorne)
- Woking Community Furniture (operates in Elmbridge, Guildford, Mole Valley, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking)
- Charity shops (see our zero-waste map for your local shop or use the search function of the Charity Retail Association’s website and filter by shops that accept furniture)
- An online store or website – try Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Freecycle, Gumtree or furniture-specific websites like Preloved, Sofalistic or Vinterior
Upcycle furniture
If you’re tired of an item of furniture, you could try and upcycle it yourself:
- Read The Guardian’s guide to upcycling furniture
- Take one of many Surrey Adult Learning courses to learn how to upcycle
- Attend an Upcycle and Reloved by Jodi furniture upcycling course in Leatherhead
- Attend a short Saturday course on Upcycling Furniture and Simple Re-upholstery at Windsor College
- Attend a Great British Woodshop course on upcycling in West Byfleet
- Get your teenage children into upcycling by booking them onto Ash & Co’s Furniture Upcycling for Teens course in Crondall
Repair furniture
Check out our zero-waste map to find a furniture repairer near to where you live. Alternatively, take a course or workshop (above) to learn how to do it yourself.
If you are buying new…
Finally, before you buy a new item, you can reduce furniture waste by checking online reviews of products to ensure their quality and longevity.
If you think your furniture can be reused…
If none of the above works for you but you think your furniture could be reused by someone else, there are plenty of options:
- take your furniture to any CRC in Surrey – if it can be resold, it might go to one of the five Revive shops in Surrey; some furniture taken to CRCs is passed onto HMP Downview to give prisoners hands-on skills in upcycling while working toward a City and Guilds qualification
- The furniture collection charities and social enterprises below all accept used furniture:
- Furnistore (operates in Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge)
- FurnitureLink Surrey (operates across Surrey)
- Furniture Helpline (operates in Guildford and Waverley)
- Kingston Community Furniture (operates in Elmbridge, Runnymede and Spelthorne)
- Woking Community Furniture (operates in Elmbridge, Guildford, Mole Valley, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking)
- Some charity shops accept used furniture (see our zero-waste map for your local shop or use the search function of the Charity Retail Association’s website and filter by shops that accept furniture)
- Pass on your item either for cash or for free using online stores or websites such as Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Freecycle, Gumtree or furniture-specific websites like Preloved, Sofalistic, Money for Furniture and Vinterior
If you don’t think your furniture can be reused…
Take it to a CRC
All CRCs in Surrey accept waste furniture. You should ask staff whether yours is suitable for reuse first as it may be suitable for reselling at one of the five Revive shops in Surrey. If not, furniture that is mainly made of wood should go in the wood container and furniture made mostly of metal should go in the metal container.
Note: upholstered seating commonly contains persistent organic pollutants, which are chemical substances that have the potential to cause damage to the environment if they are in waste that is not managed responsibly. Read Surrey County Council’s advice on disposing of upholstered seating.
What happens to recycled furniture?
Wooden furniture is taken to a processing site where contaminants such as plastic and metal are removed. It is then shredded and is used as fuel by biomass facilities, which saves using fossil fuels.
Metal furniture is sorted to separate the different types of metal. These are then melted down and are turned into raw metal, which is used to create new metal products.
Book a bulky waste collection
All district and borough councils run bulky waste collection services. To book a collection, find details of your local service on our bins, bulky waste and other waste collections in Surrey webpage.
To find out what to do with other types of waste where you live in Surrey, use the Surrey Recycles search tool.