The best ways to keep furniture out of the landfill
- Allie McConnell
- Apr 12
- 4 min read
The curb alert fallacy, and the myth of disposability
As the weather warms up, and many of us respond to the new season by refreshing our homes, the scene above will become very common throughout our neighborhoods.
Modern furniture is one of the most toxic materials in our homes. And the most difficult to know how dispose of correctly. Unfortunately, our economy (in the US) is not concerned with what happens to consumer products at the end of their useful life - because they haven't yet figured out how to make that profitable.
My M.O. with The Green Arts is to help you remove the guilt of trying to be a better earthling, by revealing how the system here is set up to pass the buck to you and I, leaving us with no easy options that benefit our planet.
Below are some workarounds to dispose of old furniture while doing as little harm as possible.
Spring cleaning-to-sidewalk pipeline
If, like me, you’re the kind of person who has sought out treasure by sifting through the listings of Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or Freecycle, you have seen the “curb alert” listings.
For the unfamiliar, CURB ALERT - yes, typed in all-caps - is the lead-in to a description of an item that someone wants to get rid of, urgently and with zero effort.
A curb alert typically announces a large piece of furniture, things that are difficult to clean, or smatterings of small household items leftover from a tag sales.
The curb alert makes me sigh, even while I have empathy and grace for the people who deploy it - we’re all trying our best to make responsible choices in the face of psychological manipulation through consumer marketing, and planned obsolescence in every product category that enters our homes.
Meanwhile, the waste management infrastructure incentivizes bigger volumes, while oil industry subsidies cut the market for recycled materials at the knees.
When you’re pressed for time between work and family, pressed for cash to pay municipal waste fees, not to mention confused about the best disposal options thanks to the muddied waters about waste disposal in this country, it’s totally understandable that the curb alert might seem like the best option.
This is what I call the Curb Alert Fallacy.
The Curb Alert Fallacy at its most benign is the mistaken belief that putting durable goods outside, near the curb, and then posting a “curb alert” listing on some social media marketplace, is the best option for social and environmental good.
At its worst, it is lazy and performative, an endorsement of planned obsolescence, a flag planted for consumer culture.
The down-side of the curb alert
The downside of the curb alert is that, even with best intentions, most of these items will end up in a landfill anyway.
Imagine a sofa plunked outdoors by the side of the road, with a brief listing posted on a social page on the web.
Days go by. It rains.
A dog marks his territory. Cars drive by, kicking up road dust and leaving a cloud of exhaust.
The weather warms up and the dampness from the rain blooms with mildew. Ants forage for crumbs. Mice and squirrels scavenge for soft materials for their nests.
This sofa is now a smelly health hazard and an eyesore.
A ten-dollar tarp would have at least given it a chance of avoiding a landfill fate.
How to dispose of old furniture
From my background in social services and grassroots activism, I’ve put together these alternatives you may not have thought of. So here are some options to keep furniture out of the curb alert-to-landfill slide, and maybe get you a tax deduction:
Keep the item indoors, and call one of the charitable thrift stores to arrange pick up. Be patient, and try again later, as their availability often depends on volunteers and warehouse space.
Contact a local refugee resettlement agency to see what their needs are - they provide a furnished dwelling to each refugee family.
Housing programs for homeless, re-entering citizens, DV survivors, youth aging out of foster care - check their website for current needs, or call to verify (they tend to prefer new items).
How to care for furniture to keep it out of landfill
Things you can do ahead of time to ensure your durable goods can get a second life in another home:
Buy good quality in the first place. Solid wood, natural fibers.
Hold on to warranties, replacement parts, etc. to pass on along with the item.
Clean along the way, and definitely clean before the item goes to a new home.
If you try all of these, you can say, I did my best, and exhausted every channel to give this item another life of use.
Do you have other tips or strategies that have helped you give a second life to household furnishings? What’s your most shocking success at outsmarting consumer culture? Or do you have more furnishing questions? Email me through the Contact tab up at the top, or message me on Instagram.
Final tips to combat marketing manipulation
You’ve probably experienced the frustration of managing your kids’ demands for the latest trendy whatever - their micro-view of what’s popular vs. your older-and-wiser view of the household budget, quality, and teen attention spans.
The same psychological triggers are at work trying to get us adults to buy new cars, redecorate the house, or build a sunroom…
Limit social media and renovation shows. Think of them as infomercials designed to get you to buy (because they are).
Avoid trends. Go for classic styles and upholstery, and update your throw blankets and pillow covers on a whim instead.
Reupholster, refinish, or restyle it. If you don’t want to DIY, please give your business to a local expert so these trades don’t die out.
This article started as part of my #FeralFriday series on Instagram, usually posted on Fridays at mid-day. Check out the rest of the series on my Instagram page, and follow for more sustainable hedonism.
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