big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
How to keep it out of the landfills aka landFULLS.
http://www.greenyour.com/home/furnishings/couch/tips/recycle-your-used-furniture
Regarding Couches:
Retask
You may be able to find ways to reuse your used furniture parts for projects around your home:
After you remove the nails from the wood, reuse the scrap wood for projects around your house, including a new headboard, legs for your armchair, or a shim (wedge) under your wobbly table.
Use upholstery fabric to patch jeans or shirts, or to make a new skirt (remember to take note of the fiber content, though, so that you know how to launder it in the future).
Repurpose the fabric and foam for use in various crafts, including doll furniture, valences, window seat cushions, quilts, dog beds, etc.
Reuse the foam and pillow stuffing for new cushions around your house.
Donations accepted
There are a couple of organizations that accept used wood and textiles for reuse:
Visit Smartwood for a directory of companies that use recycled wood to make new products. The Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program provides certification (look for Smartwood's "Rediscovered Wood" logo) to identify wood products that use salvaged, reclaimed, or recycled sources.
Search Earth 911 for a wood recycling center in your area.
If the woods in good condition, you can donate it to a Habitat for Humanity Home Improvement Outlet or other charities that need building materials.
Although you're unlikely to find a textile recycling program in your community, you may be able to donate your discarded upholstery fabric to secondhand or thrift stores, who in turn either sell the fabric to customers, or pass it along for sale in foreign countries.
http://www.greenyour.com/home/furnishings/couch/tips/recycle-your-used-furniture
Regarding Couches:
Retask
You may be able to find ways to reuse your used furniture parts for projects around your home:
After you remove the nails from the wood, reuse the scrap wood for projects around your house, including a new headboard, legs for your armchair, or a shim (wedge) under your wobbly table.
Use upholstery fabric to patch jeans or shirts, or to make a new skirt (remember to take note of the fiber content, though, so that you know how to launder it in the future).
Repurpose the fabric and foam for use in various crafts, including doll furniture, valences, window seat cushions, quilts, dog beds, etc.
Reuse the foam and pillow stuffing for new cushions around your house.
Donations accepted
There are a couple of organizations that accept used wood and textiles for reuse:
Visit Smartwood for a directory of companies that use recycled wood to make new products. The Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program provides certification (look for Smartwood's "Rediscovered Wood" logo) to identify wood products that use salvaged, reclaimed, or recycled sources.
Search Earth 911 for a wood recycling center in your area.
If the woods in good condition, you can donate it to a Habitat for Humanity Home Improvement Outlet or other charities that need building materials.
Although you're unlikely to find a textile recycling program in your community, you may be able to donate your discarded upholstery fabric to secondhand or thrift stores, who in turn either sell the fabric to customers, or pass it along for sale in foreign countries.