Factsheets > Furniture

Re-use Of Furniture:

Furniture can be difficult and costly to dispose of. Another environmentally friendly option is re conditioning furniture for re-use.

The option of re-use is also socially friendly as many re-use schemes make your old furniture suitable for use by community groups and disadvantaged families.

Donating furniture to charity shops helps to provide the shop with an income they can use to help disadvantaged people. However you should always make sure the shop has enough floor space to store the item.

Buying second hand furniture helps to create a closed loop system and prevents resources being needlessly used creating new furniture. Some sources of second hand furniture are local news papers, charity shops, ebay, car boot sales and online sharing groups such as free cycle, preloved and frn.

 

 

Recycling Of Furniture:

Whilst some furniture has wooden frames which will biodegrade. Office furniture and additions such as cushions are often made of synthetic materials that will not decompose easily. Hence furniture that is dumped rather than dealt with correctly creates and eyesore that will last many years.

Most furniture can be recycled once it has been separated in to its different material types.

Step 1:
Separate out all the different materials that make up the piece of furniture.

Step 2:
Re-use any parts that do not need to be recycled (such as nails, screws and wooden planks etc)

Step 3:
Shred any remaining materials and then refine them in to a new product (wood - mdf, plastic - plastic pellets, metal - new screws etc)

Step 4:
Any materials that can not be separated out should be incinerated to gain back some of the energy used in its construction/ refining.

 

 

FRN:

Established in 1989 the furniture re-use network is a national body that supports, assists and develops charitable re-use organisations.

They provide access to white goods, furniture and other house hold items at affordable prices.

In addition they provide training and work placement opportunities for people who are socially excluded.

 
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