670k tonnes of furniture discarded in UK yearly

In collaboration with Censuswide, Hippo Waste conducted the survey, interviewing a demographically representative sample of 2,001 UK adults.

The survey also found that those aged 16-24 most frequently replace their furniture, with 1 in 10 admitting to replacing an item every month.

The most common reason people gave for throwing out a good piece of furniture is that they tried to sell it, “but were unsuccessful”. Another worrying statistic is that 670,000 tonnes of furniture is discarded each year.

It was found that Norwich residents replace their furniture the least, at an average of five years, followed closely by Plymouth. In contrast, those living in Leeds replace theirs most often, at every 3.5 years on average.

The survey found that accessibility to a vehicle prevents people from selling, recycling or donating, with 16% lacking adequate transport to do so.

“These findings are a real eye-opener” said Gareth Lloyd-Jones, managing director at Hippo Waste. “The ‘hassle factor’, particularly among 25–34-year-olds, is a significant barrier we need to address. It’s not enough to just tell people to sell, recycle or donate their items; we need to make those options genuinely convenient and accessible for everyone.

“The fact that 62% of adults admit to discarding usable furniture, that a significant portion cite ‘hassle’ as the main deterrent, highlights a real challenge.”