Five tips to make sure your old furniture does not end up clogging a landfill

Much like fast fashion, fast furniture has a shockingly high ecological impact. Cheap, mass-produced tables and desks have a short life span and will probably end up in landfills.

The pandemic had a boosting effect on furniture sales. According to a market data company cited by The New York Times, they grew by more than $4 billion from 2019 to 2021.

Much of that furniture was not made to last and will probably end up in a landfill soon. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that Americans throw away 12 million tons of furniture annually.

The easiest solution is to make life-long, lasting purchases. Costum-made furniture not made by mass producers and with sustainable materials will last longer and is harder to abandon.

However, fast furniture is also how millions of people who can not afford to buy custom-made pieces can live in stylish homes. So if you need to get rid of that pandemic desk, here are some options.

Recycling is the most common method to get rid of furniture sustainably. The are many firms that have designed programs to take your old furniture.

Even big retailers are starting to use this system. According to CNN, Ikea launched a "Buyback & Resell" scheme to refresh and give a second life to returned furniture.

Ikea grows faster than its recycling program, with an average of 50 new locations yearly. So the most sustainable thing would be to change production. The company has vowed to use only recycled and renewed materials by 2030.

But for now, other programs are good options as well. Several companies are entering the second-hand market with models that create an easy way to recycle furniture.

For example, FloorFound, which Architectural Digest says leads the market, designed a return program that helps retailers and furniture brands to sell back refurbished items at a discount.

Brand partnerships guarantee trust among consumers over private second-hand purchases. According to Architectural Digest, it has diverted 450,000 pounds of oversized items from landfill.

These companies aim to enter a circular economy, reusing old pieces, changing production models to use only recycled or renewable materials, and creating zero waste.

But if you have the urge to help those in need, donations are also a good option. Make sure to go to a well-known program like Habitat for Humanity or Good Will and read the list of items they will accept and at which conditions.

There are also free second-hand selling sites where you can offer your old furniture, like Facebook Market Place or OfferUp. However, you must be careful with scammers.

Another option is to make a DIY project to refurbish the old furniture yourself. There are countless hours of online video tutorials that could help you.

These options contemplate a scenario where your old desk is in reasonably decent condition. If not, some eco-friendly junk collectors can dispose of it safely, but check prices.