New Yorkers produce nearly eight million tons of waste at home and work annually. Part of this figure includes large bulky furniture items such as old couches, tv stands, chairs, and more. Thankfully, in New York City, one man’s trash is another’s treasure. If your item is still in good condition, consider free furniture removal in NYC by donating your items to non-profit organizations and local programs instead of adding on to our growing landfills. Many of these organizations will even offer free furniture pickup or drop off services. This can be a convenient solution for those who need to clear out space without the extra hassle, cost, or negative environmental impact.
Free furniture removal in NYC
Before you start googling for the search term “nyc furniture removal free”, take a look at our following list of organizations who will accept furniture donations. Many will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt for your donation. Just make sure to review each organization’s guidelines for what types of furniture are accepted. All of these organizations will allow you to drop off eligible furniture items. However, for those that provide free pick up services, be sure to call ahead or use their system to schedule a pick-up time.
Organizations that offer free furniture drop off services
Housing Works
Donated items are sold at Housing Works’ bookstore and multiple thrift store locations across the city. Proceeds are directly used for funding Housing Works’ mission to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through advocacy efforts. With multiple locations in the city, Housing Works is extremely convenient for dropping off items. The organization also offers pick up services, however, just note that there is a modest fee depending on the location of your home and what you’re looking to donate.
Big Reuse
This organization aims to fight climate change through community-based zero waste initiatives, which perfectly aligns with donations of furniture and items! They work primarily with businesses and other organizations but will accept donations of smaller items such as hardware or home goods at their store. They will also provide furniture pick up but only if you’re looking to remove multiple furniture items. You can fill out their form here.
Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County
Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that seeks to provide affordable housing for all. The Habitat NYC and Westchester County is an independent affiliate of the international group and focuses on affordable housing in the region. The organization has a non–profit home improvement store and donation center called ReStore located in Yonkers. Donors can drop off their furniture pieces directly at the store for free or schedule a pick up. In return for their furniture removal services, they simply ask for a monetary donation to help offset their cost of picking up your furniture.
Little Essentials
This organization provides urgently needed children supplies for families living in poverty. While they don’t take furniture items like cribs, they do take other larger items like pack’n plays, bassinets, car seats (with a detachable base) and strollers. To donate, make sure to schedule an appointment to drop off your items at their warehouse in Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Organizations that offer free furniture pick up services
CureThrift
This non-profit focuses on juvenile diabetes research and advocacy. Unlike Housing Works, CureThrift just has one single location on 91 Third Avenue which makes drop off a little less convenient for NYC residents who don’t live close by. However, CureThrift does offer free furniture pick up! Just fill out this form on their site and they’ll get back to you.
City Opera Thrift Shop
If you’re into the arts, consider donating to the City Opera Thrift Shop. Donations go directly towards supporting the New York City Opera. This shop accepts donation drop offs and will even reimburse car fare up to $25 as long as you provide a receipt. As for free pick up services, those are offered on Tuesdays and Fridays in Manhattan (and on a case-by-case basis for the outerboroughs). To schedule a free furniture removal service, first email them photos and a description about the item(s) along with your best contact information.
Other furniture removal options
If the previous organizations don’t work for you, here are other eco-friendly free furniture removal options that you can consider.
Buy Nothing Group
There are plenty of buy nothing groups in most urban and suburban areas. These groups operate on a gift economy where items are meant to be given away for free. In these groups, you can list your furniture and request that the recipient pick up the furniture item at a location of your choosing. You can find these groups on Facebook, Reddit, or any other popular social networking sites.
Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist
If your furniture isn’t accepted by any of the above organizations, then consider listing your item on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Just be clear about the pick-up details. If the furniture item is large, make sure the buyer is aware that they may need a car or a friend to help with some heavy lifting. As an extra incentive for buyers, offer your item with a pick-up discount or even list it for free.
UPS
If you’re actually looking to keep your furniture but just need to ship it to another location (such as a new home or storage facility), consider UPS. They actually offer packing and shipping services for furniture. Just look up “ups store near me” for locations near you that offer this service. UPS freight experts will work with you to come up with the correct solution for packing and shipping your furniture. They offer furniture pick up services for a nominal fee and charge only for shipping costs domestically or internationally. UPS pack and ship service can actually be cheaper than using a moving company. However, it’s best to utilize this service for individual pieces of furniture rather than a move for an entire household or office. Compared to other options on this list, this will be the priciest option for furniture removal.
How to properly dispose of furniture
If your furniture item isn’t in the best of shape for another person to use, then it’s best to safely and properly dispose of it by New York City’s Sanitation Department. In New York, anything that’s larger than the bin or bag is considered a large item. New Yorkers aren’t able to schedule pick-ups for large items. However, you are allowed to set out up to 6 items at the curb on collection day. Note, only set out recyclable large items such as those made of metal and rigid plastic materials on recycling day. Any other large non recyclable items should be placed out on trash day.
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