In the UK we throw away more than 300,000 tonnes of furniture each year, including thousands of old sofas. Furniture makes up nearly half of all bulky kerbside waste collections that are sent to landfill. Yet many sofas are recyclable and can be removed and disposed of responsibly and more sustainably.
Sofas don’t need to be sent to landfill and in many cases, they can be repurposed, upcycled, or donated to those in need. At Divert we provide responsible sofa removal to homes and businesses in the UK, ensuring as many as possible are recycled and don’t end up in landfill.
Remove the stress and effort of getting rid of your old sofa by arranging collection with Divert. Call 01904 295 985 or contact us online for a free quote for sofa removal and disposal today.
Sofa Disposal
Get a quick quote
Get a quick FREE quote for your sofa disposal
- Quote within 1 hour
- All types of sofas
- Quick collection
- Yorkshire collections
Types of old sofas
We provide collection and disposal services for a wide range of old sofas, settees, and couches – whatever you call yours. This includes:
- L-shaped and corner sofas
- Two and three-seater sofas
- Sofa beds
- Chaise longue
- Recliner sofas
- Broken sofas
How sofa removal
and disposal works
Get a free quote for sofa removal and ensure we cover your area. The quote will be based on the type and size of the sofa, your location, and when you want it removed. If you’re happy with the quote we’ll book your sofa removal, but please let us know if you think it’s more than a two-person job.
One of our purple trucks will come out to your home or business on the day and two of our team will lift your old sofa into the vehicle. There’s nothing you need to do, just sit back and watch the show. They’ll then transport the sofa to a local waste management centre for processing.
The sofa will be checked to see whether it contains persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These are poisonous chemical substances that break down slowly, risking human and environmental health through exposure. If it does, then the sofa will be incinerated for safety reasons, as it can’t be treated or recycled.
The manufacture, sale, and use of POPs are now banned in the UK, so only older sofas are more likely to contain them. For any sofas sent for disposal that don’t contain POPs, they may be donated if in a good enough condition or recycled.
Sofa recycling
Depending on the age and style of your sofa, it may contain wood, metal, foam, natural textiles, or synthetic compounds. When a sofa is recycled it’s broken down into these separate components, which are then recycled for use in other areas, such as:
- Wood can be composted or used to create other wooden items, such as bird tables or utensils. As a naturally occurring material, it’s one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable in the world.
- Scrap metal is used in food packaging, consumer electronics, vehicle and aircraft components, and industrial manufacturing.
- Foam can be repurposed for wall and floor insulation, moulded packaging, or seating in cars.
- Textiles can be broken down and spun back into new yarns and woven or knitted into cloth.
Who needs a sofa removal service?
Households need professional sofa removal when getting rid of old, worn-out seats – whether you’re bringing in a new settee or simply making space. Few (if any) local councils or authorities offer this service for free, while there’s often a waiting period of a few weeks.
Taking your old sofa to a nearby household waste recycling centre (HWRC) can also be time-consuming and requires a big enough vehicle. Sofa removal services provide a quick, convenient, and affordable way for any household to get rid of such furniture.
Various other businesses and individuals also need sofa removal, including:
- Offices – disposing of sofas from waiting areas, reception, and breakout spaces
- Hotels – any worn-out sofas from rooms and reception
- Shops – getting rid of old stock or furniture from the shop floor
- Schools – old sofas from the staffroom and reception
- Landlords – clearing out a property before new tenants move in
Get a free quote
Sofa disposal facts
Research suggests sofas take up more than 15 million cubic metres of landfill space every year in the UK – enough to fill Wembley Stadium at least four times. While the exact number of sofas that end up in landfill sites every year is unknown, sofas are the worst culprit when it comes to bulky waste taking up space.
The average sofa lasts somewhere between seven and 15 years. Sofas generally need replacing when the seats begin to sag, or if the frame breaks down and the structure can no longer support you comfortably.
How to upcycle a sofa
It’s impossible to turn on the TV or open a home-living magazine today without seeing the term “upcycling”. This fashionable new term is for repurposing old furniture, bringing it up to date, and giving it a whole new context.
Upcycling your old sofa helps reduce bulk waste and the energy needed to deal with it.
It’s amazing what some new cushions, new material, or new foam inserts can do. If your sofa is looking a little worn or no longer feeling as comfortable as it once did, it doesn’t mean you have to discard it. With a little TLC, it could be good as new – and you could even save money by doing so.
Upcycling is also a lucrative market. In the UK, it’s estimated that upcycling accounts for anywhere between 5% and 20% of the craft industry, which is worth £3 billion a year.
If you decide to upcycle your old sofa, there are a couple of options you can take:
- If you’re feeling creative, you might want to try upcycling yourself. This can be hugely rewarding and therapeutic, even if you don’t intend on making huge amounts of money from your handiwork. Replace the foam inserts, add a new cover, and change the legs to add new life to your old sofa.
- Alternatively, you could give your old sofa to a professional craftsperson and pay them to upcycle it (or agree to split the profits if you’re selling it on). This saves time and ensures a high-quality job. Whatever you decide, you can always use Divert to transport your sofa to its new home.
Why use Divert for
sofa removal?
At Divert we provide eco-friendly sofa removal and disposal for homes and businesses. Sustainable and responsible waste collection helps protect the environment. It reduces the need to process raw materials required to make furniture, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and helping foster a better future for us all.
We’re experts in finding eco-friendly alternatives to simply ditching end-of-life sofas in landfill. When you scrap your sofa with us, it won’t end up in a skip or dump – instead, we literally divert it. Our services for sofa removal include:
- Removal of any size, shape, and type of sofa
- Free no obligation quote for sofa removal
- Fixed prices with no hidden fees
- All old sofas diverted away from landfill
- Reliable sofa removal by experienced professionals
-
Landfill diversion -
Labour included -
Flexible collections -
Reliable sofa removal -
Fixed prices
They collected a large sofa from an old converted flat.Alison Ramsay
Lovely company, very professional, turned up on time and negotiated the sofa with minimal problem. Very reasonable price
Can not recommend them enough.
Book sofa collection
Get a free quote for a sofa removal service near you today – call 0333 444 0118 or contact us online. Just provide a few details including the type, size, and number of sofas you need removed, as well as when and your location. If you’ve got any questions or want more information about disposing of sofas, our friendly team can help.
Get a sofa disposal quote
Get a quick FREE quote for your sofa disposal
- Quick quote within 1 hr
- All types of sofas
- Quick collection
- Nationwide coverage
Sofa Disposal
FAQs
-
Do you offer sofa removal near me?
We offer sofa removal to households and businesses in various areas of the UK. When you get a free quote, we can tell you whether a sofa removal service near you is available or not. The main areas where we offer sofa removal include the following cities, towns, and surrounding areas:
- York sofa removal
- Leeds sofa removal
- Bradford sofa removal
- Harrogate sofa removal
- Wakefield sofa removal
-
Can you take sofas to the tip?
You can normally take sofas and other old furniture to the tip or household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) for disposal. Check with your local authority or council first, as the waste types accepted at the tip or HWRC vary by region. Most only accept old sofas from households and not commercial waste – such as a sofa from a hotel, school, or office.
-
Where can I dispose of a sofa near me?
A few places where you might be able to dispose of a sofa near you can include:
- HWRC – many local HWRCs have a specific area for old furniture, including sofas.
- Charity shops – lots of charity shops accept used sofas in decent condition, and some even offer collection services.
- Community centres – some community centres and initiatives take donations of old sofas for use by those in need.
-
How can a sofa be donated to charity?
If your sofa is in a good condition, you could always do your bit for a local charity by donating it. There are hundreds of charities across the UK that sell used and donated furniture to raise funds for good causes. In many cases, the charity may provide free collection of your sofa too.
Alternatively, you could use Divert to arrange a sofa collection for you. It’s a convenient way to offload your furniture to a new home while doing your bit for a worthwhile cause.
-
Can I give my sofa away for free to a good home?
As the old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Just because you no longer need your old sofa, it doesn’t mean somebody nearby can’t make good use of it. Why not advertise your sofa on social media as “free to a good home” on local freecycling groups? This way, you can ensure you’re doing your bit for sustainability and the local community.
-
What are alternative ways to reuse or repurpose a sofa?
No matter what your reason for getting rid of your existing sofa is, the good news is that you don’t need to feel guilty about wastefully sending it to landfill. Gone are the days of simply scrapping your sofa at the local rubbish dump – instead, there are lots of eco-friendly ways to put your sofa to good use.
Donating to charity, upcycling for reuse in your home, by someone else, or in a business are all alternative and eco-friendly ways to deal with a sofa at the end of its life. Our team at Divert are here to help you make the most of your old furniture. Allow our sofa recycling experts to point you in the right direction.
