Jackie Thompson
Every year, furniture waste adds up to 9.8 million tons. Couches get stained and chewed up by the dog, mattresses lose their firmness and chair legs become unbalanced. This leads many people to buy brand new furniture, without understanding the impact of the manufacturing and transportation processes on the environment. If you require new furniture, why not get creative and build something using your waste? This will give you a sense of satisfaction, both from having built something yourself and from not damaging the environment. So before you head to the recycling center, here is some inspiration for furniture made from waste.
Wooden Pallet Beds and Couches
Some of the biggest items you own could have a large impact on the environment. A brand new bed requires a huge amount of energy in terms of production and transportation, not to mention the cost on your wallet. Consider switching to wooden pallets instead. Not only is wooden pallet furniture beautiful, but their manufacture involves little more than putting a few bits of wood together. If you don’t have any of your own, ask around local businesses as well as friends and family. Often people pick up some of these for $10-$12 each for a small job, then they have no use for them. If you need a new bed or couch, you can repurpose that pallet to create something beautiful and sustainable.
Corrugated PVC For Your Cupboards
Another common waste material is corrugated PVC. When building a simple shed in your garden, you may have purchased some of this stuff for the roof. It is lightweight, but strong, making it an ideal building material, but what if you have some left over?
Plastic isn’t always recycled and takes a long time to decompose. It is therefore always advisable to reuse it where possible. A good use would be as a cupboard door. The corrugated plastic makes for an interesting aesthetic and allows light through without being completely transparent. This offers the perfect place to store odd items, without having to purchase a whole closet from a furniture store.
Pipes Make Perfect Chairs
If you’ve had any plumbing done recently, you may find you have some pipes lying around. Another plastic item, these can be difficult to recycle and can damage wildlife if sent to landfill. Fortunately, they are the perfect shape to build something new. It doesn’t take much to build the skeleton of a chair out of these pipes. You can create a cute and unique gift for a small child. This will lead to a chair with an interesting aesthetic, while helping your child to understand the importance of reusing waste products.
Doing your bit for the environment can be a fun and creative venture. Before you throw anything in the trash or recycling, consider whether it can be put to use. You may find that you fill your home with beautiful and unique furniture, without spending any money or adding more waste to the planet.