Life after death for old TVs and sofas

No need for landfill – there is life after death for old TVs and sofas
Man with white goods

With Christmas now a distant memory and work feeling as though we`ve never been away, many of us may have a case of the January blues. And what better way to cure them than with a bit of retail therapy in the sales?

There are big discounts on high-value electrical items and furniture at this time of year, making January a great time to replace some of your old items at a bargain price. But if you`re buying a new TV or sofa, what do you do with the old one?

With more than two million televisions discarded every year and each of us buying an average of three new electrical items a year, it`s no wonder that the total amount of electrical waste created annually in the UK is enough to fill Wembley stadium six times.

Electrical waste increases by five per cent every year and over 75 per cent of it ends up in landfill sites, which is a real waste when many of these items are still working or could easily be repaired. Even broken items can be recycled to give their components a new lease of life.

Furniture is another huge waste problem, with over 600,000 tonnes of furniture waste created every year. Sofas account for over a third of this, with a staggering 5.5 million disposed of each year. Laid end to end, these sofas would stretch from Land`s End to John o` Groats and back more than four times. Dining tables are a similar story, with around 600,000 tables thrown away each year. Sadly, over 70 per cent of all waste furniture ends up in landfill sites.

But there are far better alternatives than landfill for your unwanted items. If that old TV is still in good working order, or the sofa still has some life left in it, you could sell them and raise some much needed January cash. Try advertising items in the local newspaper or use one of the many local selling pages that are popping up on Facebook. Alternatively, you could give items away to friends or family, or offer them on freecycle.org. You could also donate items to a local furniture reuse centre, details of which can be found on our furniture reuse page.

When buying a new electrical appliance, it`s worth asking the supplier if they`ll take away the old one for recycling. If not, you could take it to a recycling centre or arrange a special collection with your district council, many of which will repair or recycle items.

You can do the same with furniture that is no longer useable. Old wooden furniture can be recycled into new chipboard products, or it can be used as biomass, a natural fuel.

Reusing or recycling your old items not only helps to save finite natural resources, but also reduces the environmental risks associated with sending waste electrical goods to landfill. By dealing with your waste electrical appliances and furniture responsibly, not only could you have some extra cash in your pocket, you can also relax on your new sofa knowing that your old one has a new, environmentally friendly, home.

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
Cookie information