Whether you’re facing property damage from a natural disaster, replacing furniture that’s fallen victim to pets or children, or just looking to upgrade worn-out furniture, you’re probably wondering how to get rid of old, broken furniture responsibly and easily.
Getting rid of old, broken furniture can be tricky, especially depending on the furniture disposal options in your area and the severity of the damage to your furniture.
Truthfully, only used furniture that’s in good condition can only be donated or sold. However, when your sectional couch or guest bed has splits, scratches, tears, stains, scrapes, water damage, or pet soiling, there are still ways to dispose of them.
Before dumping your broken furniture in the street or tossing your waterlogged dresser into a dumpster, here are a few furniture disposal options to help decide what to do.
Need to get rid of an old couch?LEARN MORE ❯
How to get rid of old furniture
**Click to auto-scroll by section
How Do You Dispose of Old Broken Furniture?
Before making any decisions about disposal method, it’s wise to take stock of the furniture you’ll be throwing away, plus any other stuff around your home you’d like to throw out.
How you dispose of furniture depends mostly on what it is, the amount of it you have, what materials it’s made of and, honestly, how much time you have.
Your first thought was probably to drag your old broken furniture out to your curb. This is usually a workable option, but only when you have a few small items to get rid of.
However, you need to contact your garbage pickup service or the local office of solid waste before leaving any large items out on the street. Most municipal and private trash collection services limit residents to a certain number or volume of items and usually charge extra fees to pick up furniture and other bulky waste items in addition to your regular trash.
There will also likely be other restrictions on leaving bulky waste out at the curb for haul away. You may be limited to only one particular week or a month out of the year when furniture can be collected off of your curb.
You may also be required to seal furniture in special plastic bags or to dismantle it before it will be picked up by the garbage service.
Some cities and municipalities completely prohibit curbside dumping of furniture and other bulky waste altogether due to the environmental impact and other reasons.
Regardless, we don’t recommend getting rid of broken furniture on the curb since it’s usually taken to landfills. It’s leaps and bounds better to try recycling your old furniture like squeaky bed frames or patio furniture instead of throwing them out to be taken to landfills.
🚛 The Curb Alternative: Local waste management services do not go inside to remove furniture for you. Read how LoadUp’s luxury in-home furniture removal helps you skip hauling it to the curb!
How to Recycle Broken Old Furniture
Broken furniture disposal doesn’t have to be bad for the environment. Because furniture such as sofas, mattresses, and recliners contain parts that are easily recyclable, they can be taken apart for the pieces that can be recycled.
If you have the necessary tools and time, you can break down your already broken furniture and take the salvageable parts to be recycled. Materials such as wood, springs, metal parts, foam, fibers, and fabric can all usually be hauled to your recycling facility or local scrap yard.
However, the process of taking furniture apart and then finding the proper recycling facility can feel like a lot of hoops to jump through and it easily takes up a lot of time. Many people enlist the services of junk removal companies like LoadUp to take care of furniture removal by recycling furniture or properly disposing of them.
If you decide to dispose of your old broken desk or get rid of furniture on your own, be sure to speak with your city officials beforehand about any regulations, requirements, or disposal programs you need to know about.
Some cities and municipalities do offer pickup services for furniture and other bulky waste items, usually for a fee. In some of these cities, the furniture and other junk items are recycled by the local government’s solid waste department instead of dumped in a nearby landfill.
Throwing out a damaged dresser?LEARN MORE ❯
Who Will Pick Up Old Broken Furniture?
Plenty of people just don’t have the time, vehicle, tools, or patience to responsibly dispose of furniture on their own. Instead, many call professionals to haul it away for proper disposal.
This furniture disposal method saves time and energy, but it’s important to choose a furniture removal service that will come prepared to safely remove it from your home without damaging anything and do what they can to prevent old furniture from ending up in a landfill.
How to get rid of old furniture for free near me
Some furniture stores will haul away your old sectional or bed set when delivering the new one that you purchased from them. When shopping for new furniture, ask whether their store offers a free furniture removal service. Even if they don’t normally provide unwanted furniture removal, they may agree to haul away pieces of furniture as an incentive for you to buy.
Although, be aware that your old broken furniture may end up in the city dump this way. Some stores recycle some materials used in your old furniture, but others will simply have it dropped off at the nearest landfill.
Related Article: Furniture Stores That Take Away Old Furniture
You can also schedule a pickup with a junk removal company. Using a junk removal service is kind of like hiring movers, except your old broken furniture gets removed from your home without damaging anything and properly disposed of instead of moved into another home.
Best part is, you won’t have to worry about typing in furniture recycling near me into the google machine. Junk removal services LoadUp always try to find best local recycling and donation centers in your area.
🏠📦 Struggling with how to pack for a big move? Check out our ultimate moving checklist here!
When you use junk removal to get rid of your old broken furniture, a small team of professionals comes pick up your old furniture or other bulky junk and haul it away for responsible disposal. However, it’s very important to make sure they are licensed, background checked, and insured professionals.
While that dude you came across on Craigslist may have quoted you a low price, you’ll likely regret deciding to have him pick up your old furniture once it’s all said and done.
Also confirm with any junk removal company you consider that their quoted price is all-inclusive. Some junk haulers, especially junk removal franchises, are notorious for providing a “free onsite estimate” that is much lower than the final price paid.
As long as you do your homework, you can find a junk removal company named LoadUp 😉 that offers fair upfront pricing, professional service, and eco-friendly disposal methods to make getting rid of your old broken furniture a breeze.
Do you need a broken bulky item hauled?LEARN MORE ❯
What’s the Best Way to Get Rid of Old Broken Furniture?
Whether you have a twin mattress or a huge collection of old furniture, LoadUp is your best bet for fast, easy, and eco-friendly furniture removal and disposal.
We’ll take your old broken furniture from anywhere. We also try donate any damaged furniture can to donate or recycle it for you instead of sending it to a landfill. We also believe in upfront, transparent prices that do not change throughout the junk removal experience.
This means no more haggling with salesmen, no random people showing up late and unannounced, and no more junk haulers that don’t call, show up or respect your time. Our Loaders are broken furniture removal pros who are thoroughly background-checked and insured.
That way you know you’re in good hands while they take care of hauling your old broken furniture. Plus, since they skip landfills and donate items to local charities or recycle them, LoadUp’s prices are typically 20-30% lower than other junk haulers and franchises.
Related Articles from the Trash Talk Blog:
