A productive and comfortable workplace requires good quality furniture. In an office space, there will inevitably be a wide array of desks, chairs, tables, and other necessary furniture. Without it, your business probably can’t function!
But what happens when this furniture starts to get old, breaks or you simply redecorate?
Sustainable waste management
Sustainability is the name of the game. For too long, businesses simply threw their old office furniture into landfills or hired unqualified ‘contractors’ to remove their waste. That then often resulted in pollution, with furniture simply being dumped in parks, waterways, and public spaces.
Thankfully, everyone is now a little wiser about the impact of improper waste disposal, including those dealing with office furniture. At Sydney City Rubbish, we always prioritise the ‘Three R’s’ when handling any kind of waste.
That is:
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle.
By following this simple ethos, we’re able to ensure that our operations are always easy on the environment. That’s particularly the case when dealing with old office furniture, such as the items listed below.
Workstations and desks
Offices throughout Sydney and the rest of the country are filled with all kinds of desks and workstations. They might be big, small, fixed or on wheels, wood, plastic, and metal, standing or sitting… the options are endless. These days, office furniture design has become a science and as a result, businesses are flooded with options for better ergonomics, increased productivity, and improved employee happiness.
As we mentioned above, workstations are made of a range of different materials. The aesthetic of your office often determines the materials that are used but most commonly, desks are made of a combination of wood, metal, and plastic. The turnover of these pieces of furniture every year is exponential, with office-based businesses producing tons and tons of waste annually.
However, the good news is that workstations and desks are highly reusable and recyclable, thanks to the materials that make up these items.
Couches
Many offices contain couches, particularly those funky millennial workspaces! These couches come in a range of sizes and materials, but most are made up of a wooden or metal frame, springs, padding, and the covering.
Couches are very easy to either sell or donate, especially if they are in good condition. What’s more, if they need a little care, it’s quite easy and cost-effective to have your couches reupholstered, ready to be sold. If you do that, you’re having a much better impact on the environment.
Chairs
Office chairs are another high-turnover item that businesses all across the city dispose of frequently. Chair technology is constantly changing as manufacturers look to deliver classier, more ergonomic chairs for office workers.
As a result, businesses constantly trade out their older chairs for newer, stylish, and more ergonomic options. These old chairs often end up in landfills, which is simply a waste of resources. In fact, many office chairs contain metal that can be scrapped, as well as other materials like plastics, which can be recycled.
This means that if your old office chairs can’t be sold as second-hand furniture, they can at least be recycled.
Tables
Tables are another necessity in offices, and will most likely feature in your meeting rooms, breakout rooms, and throughout workspaces. Most commonly made up of metal, wood, and some plastic components, tables aren’t disposed of as frequently as chairs and desks. However, when they are, they’re often taken straight to the tip.
At Sydney City Rubbish, we understand that this kind of waste management is poor practice, especially because at the very worst, most of the materials that make up these tables can be recycled. Tables are usually durable items and therefore, many of them can be reused. We’ll always prioritise reuse through any Sydney rubbish removal operation.
Miscellaneous items
Office environments will also probably contain other, miscellaneous items. These might include:
• Archiving units
• Sets of drawers
• Pods
• Kitchen furniture.
As with the other pieces we’ve discussed, much of this furniture does end up (incorrectly) in landfills.
So how do you deal with this old furniture?
In short, hire a professional Sydney rubbish removal company! At Sydney City Rubbish, we have an enormous amount of experience in removing old office furniture and dealing with it in the most sustainable way possible.
To find out how we do that, you’ll have to read the next article in our series!
