Furniture reuse schemes
If you have an item of furniture that you do not need any more, but is also in good condition, why not donate it to your local furniture reuse group? When you donate an item, you will be helping a project which supports somebody who is living on benefits or low wages, or needs emergency support.
Use the search on this page to find out where your nearest reuse organisations are, and whether they will be able to accept your unwanted goods. Most of the organisations in Hertfordshire can provide a collection service directly from your home. Simply type in the household items you have for reuse, as well as where you live, and your most local groups will be available for contact.
Environmentally, re-using your household items will save a significant amount of energy compared to disposal, and sending good quality items for disposal to landfill represents a significant waste in resources. In addition, on the waste hierarchy, reuse is even more environmentally beneficial than recycling, as energy is even required in the reprocessing of materials.
To qualify for reuse, your items will need to be clean, rip-free and mark-free with no parts missing.
Items such as sofas, easy chairs and beds must carry fire safety labels, and all electrical items should be free from rust, reasonably clean, have intact seals and have been working the last time they were used.
Enter a material and your postcode to find
furniture reuse schemes.
View a map of reuse scheme locations in Hertfordshire (pdf).
You could also try other local charity or second hand shops, car boot sales, advertising in the local paper or on the Freecycle website - www.freecycle.org.uk.
To find your nearest charity shop visit www.charityshops.org.uk.
If your furniture is not in a reasonable condition, then you might be able to take it to your local household waste recycling centre, where it could be recycled. Guidance on whether your furniture can be taken there is available here.