It is difficult to know what to do with unwanted items of furniture. This can leave you wondering how to get rid of an old sofa. A sofa is a large item which typically can’t go out with your usual household waste. Due to size, a sofa is also difficult to transport to elsewhere. There are also other factors to consider such as the environmental impact, along with financial costs. There are several things to think about when it comes to parting with your old sofa. And there may be more options than you first thought.
It is possible to arrange collection of large items with your local council. The collection must be arranged and confirmed in advance. Then the item must be left out on your allocated bin day and collected with your bins. The cost and conditions for council collection vary from council to council. You can use this link to enter your postcode and find out more about large collections with your council.
While a council collection may be a convenient option, it is one of the less green and more costly options. According to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (RSA), the UK throws away around 672,000 tonnes of furniture annually. Of this waste, the society advises that over half could be re-used. Only 17% of unwanted sofas are re-purposed, with the other 83% going to landfill (read our blog post on why recovering your sofa is better for the environment for more statistics on this). With that in mind, below are some alternative methods to think about first.
If it is still in fairly good nick, don’t get rid of your old sofa donate it to charity. Many charities are grateful for furniture donations to stock and sell. There are several charities who accept furniture donations, some of which even assess and collect the items. Some of those which offer collection are the British Heart Foundation, Sue Ryder, YMCA, Age UK and more. If there is a charity in particular you feel strongly towards and wish to support, it’s always worth contacting your local charity shop directly to organise a drop off or possible collection. There may also be some smaller, independent charities local to your area who would gladly receive donations.
Similarly, many families are in need of furniture items and would be grateful for a second hand one. There are schemes in place which make it possible to pair those in need with second hand furniture items. These include the Furniture Re-Use Network. More information on both of these schemes can be found via the links but both are free and offer collection services.
If you think you could profit from your old, sofa you could try listing it on a selling site. Sites such as Gumtree or Ebay are free to list unwanted items.
Alternatively, try the digital version of offering your unwanted sofa to the local community. Instead of leaving it on the pavement with a sign – list it on a community selling or free cycle site. Facebook marketplace is a great tool and most communities have private groups which you can request to join also. Freecycle and Freegle are the most popular sites to offer up free items for collection. You can also offer items for free on Gumtree.
We’re almost certain you saw this one coming… If you invested in a quality sofa such as a Multiyork it is highly likely your sofa still has a lot more life left in it. With replacement cushion interiors and a fresh set of sofa covers your old sofa can literally be transformed to be as good as new, for a fraction of the cost of a brand new sofa. Contact us via our quote request form to find out more.
At MySofaCovers we regularly take on refurbishment and up-cycle projects to re-home. If you have a Multiyork sofa or chair which you no longer want and are happy to part ways with, send us an email with details and photos – we may come and collect it to take on as our next project.