Upcycling furniture in Vancouver. By Elliot J. Nitkin
ecycling furniture items is difficult. The wood is already treated, having been pressure heated and coated with resins (the key challenge). Presently there is no way to get furniture items to compost. At THE ART CONCIERGE, we want to offer as many solutions as possible. This leaves people with the option of either reusing the furniture – IE giving it away or selling it - or using it for landfill. If you know of others, please let me know, I will happily update this list. You can call 1-800-GOT-JUNK. https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en. I have heard from clients that they are good. They do recycle untreated furniture items and help deliver items to charity when possible, according to their website. If you want to go the route of giving away your old furniture items, you do have certain options. Craig's List is a perennial favorite of clients, as is Kijiji. I have heard though that both are more hopeful than realistic options. The problem is that there is so much supply and not a lot of demand. I also noticed a lot of ads for regular retailers on Kijiji, which kind of defeats the purpose of trying to sell your item second hand. The other challenge is that you have to meet with people, likely in your home. This should not stop you, just worth considering as a factor. You can go to: 1) https://www.kijiji.ca/b-furniture/vancouver/c235l1700287. 2) https://vancouver.craigslist.org/d/furniture/search/fua. There is the alternative option of giving items to charity. (They) offer pickup service in Vancouver, Burnaby (west of Royal Oak) and Richmond. Please contact the Coordinator: coordinator@homestart.ca (They) pick up furniture for a minimum $50 donation. Drivers can accept cash, cheque or credit card or you may donate in advance online. They have also made the following statement on their website: "We are fortunate and grateful that we have many generous donors who have helped HomeStart set a high standard for the quality of donations we accept." What (they) accept: * Night-tables & dressers * Kitchen & dining room tables * Chairs & sofas (no sofa beds) * Armchairs * Coffee tables * Bookcases * TV’s & VCR/DVD players * Radios Certain cities also pick up furniture using curb side service: 1) City of Richmond - To schedule collection of up to four items per year, residents can contact the City’s service provider, Sierra Waste Services Ltd Customer Service at 604-270-4722 or schedule online at: https://www.richmond.ca/services/recycling/service.htm 2) City of New Westminster - For larger items requiring disposal, the City may be able to offer a special pick-up where the item(s) can be collected from the curb for a fee. Special pick-up inquiries can be made by calling: Engineering Operations at 604-526-4691. Please note: some restrictions apply. No refunds will be issued once payment is made. 3) City of Burnaby - Maybe. Call us (the city, from their website) to find out what we accept for large item pick up at 604-294-7972 before you place it outside, and we can arrange your pick-up date. Please note: All mattresses are required to be completely wrapped and sealed in plastic for collection. 4) City of Coquitlam - Residents who receive the City’s curbside collection service can have up to four large household items collected each year (July 1 to June 30) by choosing one of the following options: a) Put out 4 items at the same time, once per year, or; b) Put out 1, 2 or 3 items at different times of the year (to a maximum of 4 per year). To schedule a Large Item Pick-up, please call Waste Connections of Canada at 604-636-3521. 5) City of Maple Ridge - Ridge Meadows Recycling provides a fee-for-pickup service and will pick up any large, recyclable item(s) within the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows area, including mattresses. The pickup service includes anything that can be recycled at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot such as fridges, freezers, stoves, furnaces, hot water tanks, barbecues, washers, dryers, TVs, computers, dishwashers, and other large appliances or electronics. Download the RMRS A to Z List, listing what is accepted for recycling at the Depot. Note: we do not pick up any corrosive, flammable, explosive, or otherwise hazardous materials. To request a pick up or quote, call 604-463-5545 or go to https://rmrecycling.org/recycling-pickup/large-item-pickup-service. 6) City of Port Coquitlam - NO 7) City of Vancouver - NO. There is a dump on Kent below Marine drive near Cambie street. |
