How Do You Get Rid of Commercial Furniture in a Sustainable Way?

Mar 21, 2022

Whether you’re redecorating, reducing your seats to accommodate hybrid work structures, or simply getting rid of old and unusable commercial furniture, you should think about doing so with the least harm to the environment. Hiring a property maintenance service can make this job easier.

Businesses are taking steps towards more sustainable operations, from going paperless and working remotely to buying fair trade items and getting rid of unwanted items sustainably.

So, here are some ways that you can get rid of commercial furniture that is friendly to the environment.

Repurpose and Upcycle

Just because a piece of furniture no longer serves its purpose, doesn’t mean it cannot be used for other functions. Especially if it is still in good working condition, consider repurposing or upcycling rather than getting rid of it.

Whether you have an unwanted desk, chair, or cabinet, you can repurpose or upcycle it to get maximize its use. A computer desk can be used to hold other office items in common rooms—it can hold anything from a printer to a coffee maker.

Meanwhile, a desk chair can be repurposed and be used to hold documents, serve as a stool, or be relocated to the lounge for guests. As for filing cabinets, they can be repurposed as a makeshift locker or product container. Some even repurpose them into shelves, display cases, or shoe racks! 

Resell

Another way to sustainably dispose of commercial furniture is through reselling. Not only will this get more use out of your furniture, but it also earns you some money. Some famous sites for reselling used furniture include eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, and Craiglist.

To resell commercial furniture, assess its condition. If it’s barely used, doesn’t have dents, scratches, or stains, it can fetch a higher price. If it’s beaten up, but still usable, be willing to sell it at a low price point.

Also, when determining the price to sell your used furniture, consider the demand for it, the market value of similar items, and how quickly you want to sell it.

However, if your furniture is broken or irreparably damaged, then skip the reselling option and check out the other sustainable ways to get rid of your furniture.

Lastly, don’t forget to clean your furniture before taking a photo and posting it online for sale. Your photo, along with your description, is all potential buyers have to go by when deciding to purchase. That’s why you should take clear and well-lit photos, post several photos of the furniture from different angles, and clearly disclose the condition of the item.

Donate

Though reselling is a great option, it can take a long time to move items out. If you’re in a rush to clear some space and dispose of your furniture urgently, a quicker way to move your furniture is to donate it. Doing so ensures the furniture finds new owners who get more use out of it instead of it wasting away in a landfill somewhere.

There are several non-profit foundations and charities that accept furniture donations. Just note that with a large number of furniture donations nowadays, they usually don’t accept stained or worn-out ones.

Some foundations are Patriots and Paws, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity. Depending on the branch, walk-ins may be accepted, so you can conveniently drop off your furniture. Another option is to schedule a pickup, so you can have them take your furniture at no cost. 

Recycle

The previously mentioned sustainable methods of getting rid of commercial furniture are not good options for worn-out, stained, or damaged furniture.

In these cases, one should consider recycling instead. Recycling involves taking apart the commercial furniture and segregating them into different parts, metal is separated from wood, plastic, and fabric.

The metal can be melted and molded into other objects. Meanwhile, wood can be repurposed or mulched, plastic can be converted into fabric, bottles, or other objects, and the fabric is usually incinerated.

To recycle one’s furniture, one can DIY. But if there’s quite a number of commercial furniture to dispose of, a more convenient method is to hire commercial junk removal services to do all the legwork for you.

Hire Professional Junk Haulers

One of the responsibilities of businesses is to sustainably dispose of objects. Whether you need to get rid of unwanted commercial furniture or stacks of files, old products, etc.—hiring commercial junk removal services helps ensure you quickly get rid of unwanted objects sustainably.

Commercial junk removal companies offer hauling services as part of their property maintenance service. This refers to an end-to-end process of them picking up the furniture or junk from your space, taking it away to their facility or a partner institution where the haul is assessed for their condition and usability, and deciding the best way to sustainably get rid of the junk.

Do you need to get rid of junk without stressing about it? Our trained staff and equipment, let us unburden you by hauling away your junk and disposing of them sustainably.  Contact us at West Coast Property Maintenance today!

Joe Flexen

Owner – Joe grew up doing construction jobs with his father at a young age. He knows the value in hard work and dedication. Outside of work, he loves fishing, boating, and off-roading with his wife and 4 kids. Their dog is never left behind!