For many of us, moving house presents the perfect opportunity for a major declutter. Rather than carting things we never use from one house to the next, it makes sense to let go of a few things and look forward to starting afresh in our new home. If you’re taking advantage of the upheaval of moving to have a good old sort out, here’s what to do with the stuff you no longer need.
Furniture
Whether it’s a saggy old sofa or a set of dining chairs that no longer match your style, disposing of furniture in the right way is key to reducing its environmental impact. The best way to do this is to sell it on, donate it to charity or a reuse centre such as the Reuse Network, or give it away to someone who’ll keep using it, if it’s still in good working order. If that’s not possible, most furniture is accepted at your local recycling centre, which you can find using our Recycling Locator. If something’s too big to fit in your car, it’s worth asking your local council if they’re able to come and collect it.
Textiles and soft furnishings
Threadbare rugs or rolls of unused carpet – both things that get eyed up for disposal during a pre-moving clear-out. If your old bits of carpet or rugs aren’t in good enough condition to donate to charity or give away on digital marketplaces, you can take them to your nearest recycling centre or contact your carpet fitter for your new home to see if they’ll dispose of it for you.
Had enough of those curtains? They can be lumped in with your textiles recycling, which also includes clothing that isn’t in good enough condition to donate. Check to see whether your local council will collect textiles for recycling, or make use of a textiles recycling bank if there’s one near you. Of course, you can also take them to a recycling centre.
Sadly, duvets and pillows generally aren’t recyclable, but it’s worth knowing that some brands, such as Dunelm, offer a take-back scheme (which also covers bed linen, towels and cushions), and some animal charities may accept them for pet bedding.
CDs and DVDs
Remember those? We’re so used to streaming services now that we’ve probably forgotten how many CDs and DVDs we have clogging up the cupboards! These can be donated to charity if they’re still in good condition, or sold on numerous sites, such as Ziffit or Zapper. Some recycling centres take them, but not all, so check the Recycling Locator to find out. Sadly, most charities and recycling centres won’t take VHS tapes and cassettes anymore, so these will need to go in your general rubbish.
Kitchen equipment
The best thing to do with cooking and kitchen equipment you no longer need, such as saucepans, crockery, cutlery and drinking glasses, is to find it a new home where someone else will appreciate it and keep it in use. If it’s no longer in good enough condition to pass on, cutlery can be recycled with scrap metal at your nearest recycling centre. However, broken crockery or glassware should be wrapped carefully in used newspaper and put in your general rubbish.
Electrical goods
Anything that has a battery or plug, needs charging or has a wheelie bin symbol with a cross through it comes under the category of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, and that includes computers, monitors, tablets and laptops. While retailers have to take your old equipment if you’re buying something to replace it, this may not be an option for you if you’re getting rid of old devices as part of a declutter. If that’s the case, and they’re not in good enough condition to donate, take them to your local recycling centre.
Some councils will take small electrical items, such as hairdryers and digital clocks, from the kerbside, as long as you bag them up separately and leave them on top of your recycling. Check with your local council to find out whether they will do this.
When it comes to bulky white goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines, these can sometimes be collected by your local council if you can’t get them to a recycling centre yourself. Check the Recycling Locator to find out.
Books
Finally, if you’ve accumulated a lot of books and need to downsize your library before moving, the best thing to do is to donate them to a charity, give them to a book swap or gift them to a friend so that they can keep being enjoyed. Because of the glue holding them together, books can’t usually be put in your normal kerbside recycling, but some recycling centres accept them.
After you've moved
Moving house generates a lot of packaging that you’ll need to dispose of, but the majority of it should be recyclable. All those cardboard boxes you’ve used for moving could be passed on to someone else who’s moving so that they can keep being used, while cardboard packaging from new flatpack furniture can be recycled. You can save plastic wrapping and take it to a supermarket collection along with plastic bags, but polystyrene will unfortunately have to go in your general waste bin.
Once you're settled in your new home, don’t forget to check with your local council to find out what can or can't be collected from your kerbside in your new area, as well as whether they offer a food waste collection service and what can be included in it. As ever, you can check whether something can be recycled using our A to Z guide and find your nearest recycling facilities using the Recycling Locator.
