Bulky waste

If you have just bought yourself some nice new furniture, whether it be sparkly brand new or new to you (second hand), you may be needing to make some space in your home to fit it in. What should you do with your old items though - especially if there`s actually a bit of life left in them.

Furniture isn`t easy to just put in your bin as usually it is too large. Leaving old furniture out at the side of the road isn`t an option either, and isn`t actually legal. Unfortunately this often happens because people don`t know how to handle disposal of their surplus furniture.

Here are a couple of suggestions that you could think about before contacting the council to arrange a Bulky Waste Collection.

1. Sell it

If your old furniture is still in good condition, you might be able to sell it by putting an ad up online. This is a great option if you could do with a bit of extra cash. Just remember to always follow safe online selling practices - meet in a public place whenever possible and don`t hand over the items until payment has been received.

Some good websites and apps for selling your stuff are: Gumtree, Shpock or Facebook Marketplace.

2. Donate it

If you don`t feel like going through the process of selling your furniture online, or you`d just like to do a good deed, you can donate your old items to a local charity - if they are still in a usable condition. Many charities will even come collect the items from your home if you can`t transport it yourself.

Have a look at our Unwanted Furniture pages for details of Reuse Organisations across Cumbria.

Council Bulky Waste Household Collection

If all else fails and you do ultimately need to `throw away` your surplus furniture, you can do so by arranging for your local council to collect it from your home. Most councils will collect large waste items like old sofas, fridges or washing machines and dispose of it on your behalf - there will likely be a fee to pay for this and you must check first which items they will actually collect.


If you have a question about resources or recycling please call one of the following numbers
Cumberland Council: 0300 373 3730
Westmorland & Furness Council: 0300 373 3300
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