Ditching old Furniture
So you bought a new sofa set, awesome, but now how do you dispose of your old set?
Furniture can hold power over people. It can be viewed as a valued family heirloom, an important piece of your identity, and even a signifier of your independence. Buying your first living room set, or dining room table for example, is often a point of pride for some people, who place emphasis on its aesthetic, purpose, and meaning.
Sometimes, on the opposite end of the spectrum, furniture can mean little to you. Sometimes people take on furniture from friends in a tight pinch, and end up with a household of furniture that means little to them, is falling apart, and isn’t worth the time or effort to refinish, or maintain. Sometimes people find themselves moving into a new home or apartment and they simply can’t take all of their things with them. When that happens, disposing of your unwanted furniture can be almost therapeutic, and can hold its own meaning; a fresh start.
Have a friend in need?
The first thing you should consider is if someone close to you could make use of the furniture, doing everything you can to keep the pieces out of landfill or recycling depot. Ask your family and friends if they’re in need of anything, and offer up your outgoing furniture to them for free. If you have a friend, or family member who is about to go away to post secondary education, they may eagerly snatch up your old effects in an effort to save cash and time.
If you can’t manage to give away your unwanted furniture to friends and family, your next step may be to make use of your areas Community Exchange program. The programs usually operate by people placing their unwanted goods on the curb, awaiting their next owners. This form of reusing old furniture is another great way to easily move your stuff out the door without having to do much legwork.
Online
Many online platforms can be helpful in getting rid of your unwanted furniture as well. Sites like Kijiji, Craigslist and even Facebook Garage Sale pages can prove useful, and sometimes profitable, if you happen to entice the right buyer. There are options to give your furniture away fro free on these sites, as well – helping you network with people who may be just outside of your social circles. There are organizations that also accept old unwanted furniture to furnish the homes of people rebuilding their lives after tragedies, unforeseen circumstances, etc.
Leather
Disposing of leather couches can prove lucrative, as they tend to hold their value better than fabric sofa’s and other types of furniture. Many furniture retailers will consider a trade-in, or accept your leather sofa, provided it is in decent shape, if you’re planning buying a new one with them.
If you’ve tried to no avail to sell and give away that old couch or table, there are disposal services offered by your local municipality that you can take advantage of.
Vancouver
Locally, the City of Vancouver has undertaken initiatives to work towards a zero waste plan, as per its involvement with the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, that wants to reduce solid waste going to the landfill or incinerator by 50% from 2008 levels – so far, there has been a decrease of 18%.
When you’re considering throwing out or disposing of your unwanted furniture, remember that it may be of great value to someone else, and you should try at all costs to reuse, or recycle the piece before placing it in a landfill. By exploring these numerous ideas for disposal, you’ll not only be helping out the environment, but potentially another person as well.