Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 by Lon Epstein
New York City is a place of significant excess and great need, making it an Eden for getting rid of unwanted furniture. Instead of hauling your old sofa down to the curb, consider donating it. There are dozens of nonprofit organizations that would be thrilled to take it off your hands. Many of them even offer free furniture pickup and free furniture removal. Here's how to donate furniture in NYC. We also included eco-friendly ways to dispose of your stuff.
According to Lisa Tselebidis, a certified KonMari home-organization consultant, any item that is still in good condition should be donated — this reduces waste while also doing something good for the planet. Two nonprofits she particularly likes are Habitat for Humanity and Housing Works, both of which can always use household donations. But there are plenty of other places to donate or dispose of unwanted furniture.
There’s no shortage of places that accept furniture donations in NYC. Many nonprofit organizations below offer free furniture pickup and provide tax-deductible receipts, so peruse the list and find an organization whose values and mission you vibe with. Because the pandemic changed everything, please confirm guidelines and drop-off times for any place you wish to donate.
To find even more organizations you can donate furniture to in NYC, check out donateNYC, the Department of Sanitation’s directory of nonprofit partners eager for your used furniture.
If you’re in a hurry to get rid of that tufted velvet loveseat and don’t have time to schedule a donation pickup — but you don’t want to chuck the thing because you just know someone will enjoy it — then consider these eco-friendly alternatives to the landfill:
If the desk you’ve been lugging from apartment to apartment won’t survive another move, and it’s in no shape to be donated, then you must junk or recycle it. As New Yorkers, we’re privileged in this regard — we’re allowed to leave up to six bulk items per building on the curb the evenings before garbage-collection days. Here are some things to keep in mind about putting your furniture on the sidewalk:
But what if you think your unwanted stuff is valuable? Let’s say you have an old, wood desk with beautifully crafted dovetailed joints and an original label from a famous midcentury manufacturer. It may be worth money! Here’s how to sell used, vintage, and antique furniture locally.