Everything you need to know about reusing and recycling furniture
Can furniture be recycled?
In general, unless the piece of furniture is made of pure metal, pure plastic, or pure untreated timber, it won't be recyclable. If your piece of furniture is only made of metal, you may be able to find a scrap metal recycler in your area that will accept it.
There are, however, ways to reuse, repair and upcycle furniture so that it can be used again, which prevents valuable materials from going to waste in landfill.?
How to dispose of furniture
Furniture should never be put in your recycling bin at home. Furniture is usually too bulky to be put in the garbage bin so it must be disposed of through other methods.
If the furniture is in good condition, consider selling or donating it so it can be used again. If the furniture is not in good condition and you want to get rid of it, here are some options:
•Furniture can be taken to your local tip for disposal. Sometimes the furniture will be salvaged and sold at the tip’s reuse shop.
•Councils often organise collection days for their residents where they pick up household items including furniture from the side of the street. Contact your council to find out if there is a collection day coming up.
•Some councils will pick up bulky waste items for residents if they make a booking. Contact your council to see if they offer bulky waste collection.
•Many skip bin services will accept furniture and some of these businesses will even recycle items or parts that can be recycled.
Reusing, selling and donating furniture
If you're looking to get rid of some unwanted furniture or find a pre-loved bargain, then reusing, upcycling, donating or selling are all options that have a positive environmental impact. By saving the piece of furniture from landfill, materials are kept in use at their highest value, which prevents the mining of resources to make new products and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
If your furniture is in good condition, you may be able to sell it or give it away using an online marketplace such as Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
There are plenty of ways to find or pass on good quality furniture: through charity stores, second-hand furniture shops and antique stores, which are great places to hunt down a bargain – or pick up a collectable – all whilst helping to minimise your impact on the environment.
Re-Love (formally The Run for Good Project) is a registered charity that supports women and children impacted by domestic violence and homelessness by providing them with good quality rescued furniture and household items. Operating in NSW, individuals, businesses and workplaces can donate their second-hand goods including furniture and some electrical products.
How to recycle office furniture
If your workplace or business has large quantities of furniture to dispose of, passing them on by donating or selling them will keep the materials used to make the products in use for longer.
GreenChair is a sustainable furniture and goods repurposing program operating across Australia helping businesses reduce their waste to landfill by allocating furniture and other unwanted items during renovation, relocation and demolition to not-for-profit organisations, charities and community groups in need.
If the furniture is not in good enough condition for donation or sale, there may be recycling options. Use the directory on this page to find commercial recycling services in your area for large quantities of office furniture.
Furniture buy-back programs
All IKEA stores in Australia offer customers the opportunity to return their eligible pre-loved IKEA products to the Buy-back service. In return, customers are offered a refund card of up to 50% of the returned product’s original value. Follow the steps via their online tool to obtain an estimate of your furniture’s buy-back value. Then bring the furniture, together with your estimate, to your preferred store. Products returned through the buy-back service are resold in-store and online or donated to community projects.
IKEA also offers free spare parts to customers to help them extend the life of their products. Whether a part is missing, broken or needed to renew a product, customers can place an order for the parts they need online and receive free delivery or pick up in-store.
How to upcycle furniture
During Planet Ark's National Recycling Week in 2021, the team at Planet Ark created the Save Our Furniture campaign to encourage Australians to upcycle old, outdated, and unwanted pieces of furniture. Watch our free online tutorials for expert upcycling tips and inspiration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eco-friendly furniture?
When shopping for new furniture, consider purchasing secondhand and pre-loved goods, as this reduces the demand for natural resources and energy consumption which contributes to climate change. You might also like to consider a furniture rental service, especially for workplaces and offices.
If you do buy brand new furniture, try purchasing from manufacturers who will take back their products at end-of-life. You can also look for furniture made from sustainably sourced or reclaimed timber and recycled materials.
In general, unless your furniture is made from pure untreated timber, pure plastic, or pure metal, it is unlikely it can be recycled once it has reached its end of life.
Who takes old furniture for free?
If your old furniture is still in good condition, you might like to see if you can donate it to a local charity store or sell (or give it away) via an online marketplace such as Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. You can also contact the manufacturer to see if they run a ‘take back’ program for their products.
In general, unless your furniture is made from pure untreated timber, pure plastic, or pure metal, it is unlikely it can be recycled at end-of-life.
If you have no alternative, you can take old furniture to the tip or contact your local council to see if they offer a hard rubbish collection service (it is likely it will be sent to landfill). Please note, dumping furniture on the street is illegal.
Is it illegal to put furniture in the recycling bin?
You must not place unwanted furniture in your household recycling bin. While it is not illegal, the furniture will not be recycled and it could contaminate or damage the recyclable items in the recycling bin, potentially resulting in the items not being recycled. It can also cause issues at the recycling facilities when they receive items that should not have been put in the recycling bin (these items are referred to as ‘contamination’). It is illegal, however, to dump old furniture on the street.
Generally, your household recycling bin is only for metal tins and cans, paper and cardboard, and plastic bottles and containers from your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry. Check with your local council for more information on what can go in your household recycling bin.
Unless your furniture is made from pure untreated timber, pure plastic, or pure metal, it is unlikely it can be recycled at end-of-life. If it’s still in good condition, you might like to see if you can donate it to a local charity store or sell (or give it away) via an online marketplace. You can also contact the manufacturer to see if they run a ‘take back’ program for their products.
If you have no alternative, you can take old furniture to the tip or contact your local council to see if they offer a hard rubbish collection service (it is likely it will be sent to landfill).
Is wooden furniture recyclable?
Only wood that has not been chemically treated or painted can be recycled via specialist wood recyclers. Unfortunately, most wooden furniture in Australia has been chemically treated in some form, therefore it is not often able to be recycled. However, if you are handy, wooden furniture can often be easily repaired, refurnished, or repurposed to make new pieces.
