Tips for Recycling Household Furniture

We love our homes and we love making them by creating the feel of our space with furniture to reflect our style. As we grow out of what we have, though, or it gets worn out, most of us throw our old furniture into the landfill.

By both recycling our old digs, sprucing up those we want to keep and buying used pieces when we crave new ones, we are opting out of the energy-intensive furniture supply chain.

If there’s any hope, revive your furniture with some updated upholstery or a snazzy new paint job (using eco-friendly paint, of course). Chairs are the most common piece of furniture thrown away. To revamp them:

• Seats are usually screwed on, so simply unscrew them. 
• Remove the fabric (making sure the foam is still good).
• Use a staple gun to cover it in the remnant or organic fabric of choice.

If you need to get rid of it, recycle it through reuse. To give or sell your own furniture to others, you can go to:

• Craigslist: A site where you can scope out opportunities to buy new and free furniture in its “for sale” listings. Also try Ebay.
  
• Freecycle: Creates localized lists where you can track what people in your neighborhood are giving away for free.
  
• Donate: Your furniture will be a great addition to Goodwill or Salvation Army, and you can receive a tax deduction.
  
• Garage Sale: This is a great thing to do when you feel the “spring cleaning” bug coming on. You can also tell your friends and neighbors that you have items to sell and give them first choice.

If reuse doesn’t work out, or the item is beyond repair, recycle it. Check with your local curbside program for bulk days to find a recycling location.

(Source: earth911.com)