Renfrewshire Council

From today, Thursday 1 February 2024, we are changing the way we collect, store and dispose of upholstered domestic seating. This means that sofas, armchairs and other upholstered furniture items can no longer be disposed of at most of Renfrewshire's Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC).

If you need to dispose of any upholstered furniture you can:

• Drop your items off to the new dedicated container at the Linwood Household Waste Recycling Centre
• Book a special collection. This service will involve a charge of £45 per item. Damaged, ripped or torn items must be covered with sheeting and secured with tape prior to collection.

Reasons for the changes

Upholstered furniture items contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)—chemical substances that are known to stay intact, do not break down and can have a harmful impact on human health and the wider environment.

New guidance by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), which supports existing legislation, states that these items should be kept separate from other waste items to avoid contamination in the recycling process.

More information

If upholstered furniture items are in good condition and still have their fire safety labels, instead of disposing of them, please consider donating them to a local charity shop to help reduce waste.

Visit our 'What you can dispose of at a household waste recycling centre' page for full details.

You can also get more information on the steps we are taking as a Council to protect the environment and reach net zero in Renfrewshire by 2030.

Published on Thursday 1 February 2024