avoiding the landfill: What do i do with my old furniture
There are plenty of reasons you might need to up and move and suddenly rehouse some of your furniture. According to the U.S.Census Bureau, Americans move on average around 12 times in their lifetime. Moving can be stressful, expensive and full of logistical headaches. One of which is what to do with all your stuff.
If you have furniture pieces that just aren’t going to be able to come with you, in an effort to reduce landfill waste, here are some ways to rehouse them so that throwing your furniture away is your last resort:
Resell - If you have some high-quality pieces, try listing them on Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist/Offer Up, etc. Take great pictures and list them at a fair price point. These sites are free and furniture that’s well-priced and in good condition tends to move quickly. Another major selling point is that someone will come to your house and deal with the logistics of moving it. Get paid and have someone take your stuff off your hands? Win-win.
Kaiyo, an online marketplace devoted to keeping furniture out of landfills, is another great resource. We make getting rid of unwanted furniture not only easy (our team picks it up from you in a matter of days free of charge) but incentivizing (seller’s can opt in to get paid instantly for their approved furniture).
pro tip: the sooner you can plan, the better chance you’ll have of finding the right home for it.
Give it away - List your things for free on Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist/Offerup, etc. if you’re really in a rush, or if the pieces have any damage. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to refinish/reupholster/repair a piece or perhaps aren’t bothered by the wear and tear. Local Facebook buy-nothing groups are also a great place to find people in your community who are in need of essentials and will do the logistical heavy lifting.
Donate - Did you know you could coordinate bulk pick-up donations? You just need to do a little research in your area, but there are several companies like Amvets, Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity where you can arrange for a truck to pick up your stuff you don’t need anymore. You can also look for organizations doing impactful work in your community, like A Wider Circle in the DMV area. They help furnish the homes of families leaving homelessness or fleeing domestic abuse.
Why try one of these options first? For one, they’re less work than loading up a truck and bringing your stuff to the dump and less expensive than paying for a junk removal service. Most importantly, we have to be responsible for the life of our things, rehousing them and keeping them out of landfills as much as possible.