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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Hannah Rochell

‘Our sofa bed sold the same day’: how to get rid of household clutter – without sending it to landfill

Female artist painting vintage chair in yellow color with a paintbrush in the back yard
Should it stay or should it go? Decluttering, recycling and upcycling can all be part of your spring clean strategy. Photograph: blackCAT/Getty Images

Forget blossom and bluebells, for many of us, the changing season means one thing: time for a spring clean. While you may have tackled the clothes you no longer want without sending them to landfill (if not, have a read of our guide to clearing out your clothes sustainably), other items in our homes are not always as straightforward.

According to the circular living organisation Wrap, 22m items of furniture are thrown away each year in the UK, and worldwide, we discard 2.6m tonnes of e-waste (electronic waste) annually. Many of these items could be resold, upcycled or recycled. The British Heart Foundation reports that 62% of us throw away homeware items that are in good enough condition to be donated to charity. Here are some of the best ways to reuse, recycle and upcycle your unwanted stuff.

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