How to Recycle Furniture in London

Every year, thousands of tonnes of furniture end up in London's waste stream. Much of it can be recycled, reused, or donated instead. Whether you have a single chair or a house full of unwanted furniture, this guide explains how to recycle responsibly in London.

Can All Furniture Be Recycled?

Most furniture can be recycled in some form, but the process depends on the materials involved:

• Wood furniture – Solid wood, MDF, and chipboard can all be recycled. Solid wood is the most valuable and is often chipped for new particleboard or biomass fuel.
• Metal furniture – Steel and aluminium frames are 100% recyclable and have good scrap value.
• Upholstered furniture – Sofas and armchairs are more complex. The frame, springs, foam, and fabric must be separated before recycling.
• Glass and mirrors – Table tops and cabinet glass can be recycled, though tempered glass requires specialist processing.
• Mattresses – Springs, foam, felt, and fabric are all recyclable when separated professionally.

The main exception is heavily treated, painted, or contaminated wood, which may need to go to specialist waste processing.

London Furniture Recycling Centres

London's Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) accept furniture for recycling at no charge for residents. Key sites include:

• Western Riverside (Wandsworth) – Separate bays for wood, metal, and general furniture.
• Smugglers Way (Wandsworth) – Reuse area for furniture in good condition.
• Hornsey Street (Islington) – Compact but well-organised, accepts most furniture types.
• Barrowell Green (Haringey) – Large site with dedicated reuse shop.
• Townmead Road (Richmond) – Extensive reuse section for furniture in good condition.

All sites require advance booking. You will need proof of address for the relevant borough. Vans and trailers may need a separate permit.

Furniture Reuse and Donation Schemes

The most sustainable option is reuse – keeping furniture in active use rather than breaking it down for materials:

• British Heart Foundation – Free collection of quality furniture. They operate shops across London and online sales.
• Emmaus – Communities in Greenwich, Lambeth, and other boroughs accept furniture donations.
• The Salvation Army – Collects larger items and redistributes to people setting up new homes.
• Freecycle and Freegle – Online networks where you can offer furniture to local people for free.
• Furniture Re-use Network – National charity connecting donors with local reuse organisations.

Furniture must be clean, structurally sound, and free of stains or damage. Upholstered items need a fire safety label.

How Different Furniture Materials Are Recycled

Understanding what happens to your furniture after collection can help you choose the right disposal route:

• Solid wood – Chipped and used for particleboard manufacturing, animal bedding, or biomass energy generation.
• MDF and chipboard – Can be recycled into new board products, though the process is more limited than solid wood.
• Metal – Melted down and reformed. Steel and aluminium can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality.
• Fabric and foam – Shredded for industrial wiping cloths, carpet underlay, or insulation material.
• Springs – Separated and sent to scrap metal recyclers.
• Leather – Can be downcycled into leather fibre products or used in fashion accessories.

What Happens to Furniture That Cannot Be Recycled?

A small percentage of furniture cannot be recycled through conventional channels:

• Heavily contaminated items – Furniture soaked in chemicals, paint, or bodily fluids may need specialist waste treatment.
• Composite materials – Some modern furniture uses bonded materials that are difficult to separate.
• Items with asbestos – Older furniture or fire boards containing asbestos require licensed hazardous waste disposal.

Even in these cases, responsible waste companies use energy-from-waste facilities rather than landfill, recovering energy from materials that cannot be mechanically recycled.

Commercial Furniture Recycling in London

Businesses have additional obligations and options:

• Duty of Care – Companies must use licensed waste carriers and keep waste transfer notes.
• Bulk recycling – Large volumes of office furniture can be processed cost-effectively through specialist commercial recycling services.
• Asset recovery – Some companies offer to buy back high-value office furniture, offsetting disposal costs.
• Compliance reporting – We provide waste transfer notes and recycling reports for your environmental records.

See our dedicated guide on office furniture disposal in London for more detail.

How Any London Waste Recycles Your Furniture

When you use our furniture removal service, this is what happens to your items:

1. Collection – Our team collects from any room in your property.
2. Sorting – Items are assessed at our facility. Reusable furniture is set aside for charity partners.
3. Dismantling – Non-reusable items are broken down into individual materials.
4. Recycling – Each material stream goes to a specialist recycling facility.
5. Documentation – You receive a waste transfer note confirming legal, responsible disposal.

We recycle over 99% of everything we collect. Get a free quote or call 0800 599 99 96.