Where Does All Our Bulky Waste go?

A damming new report from Gumtree has uncovered a black hole of information on the final destination of 5+ million bulky household items collected by local authorities across the UK. Despite households paying an estimated £194 million* to have bulky waste items collected, 1 in 5 councils in the UK provided no data on how these items are handled. We believe the UK’s approach to the recycling, reuse and data recording of bulky items needs greater transparency -  and better adoption of the circular economy is desperately needed to tackle our growing problem with bulky waste.

Illustrative image to show unused household goods.

Gumtree sent Freedom of Information requests** to all 367 UK local authorities to understand how councils dispose of bulky items. In summary, the results were shocking. Twenty percent of councils did not share any information. Of those that did have data, just 14% of councils said they follow waste hierarchy guidelines as much as possible, where disposal is the last option after prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery.

Furthermore, the data reveals that more than 5.5 million items were collected by 207 councils between May 2021 and April 2023. But the real figure could be much higher. 

Ultimately, only 72 councils had data on how many collected bulky waste items were recycled. Twenty-three councils recycled nothing. The remaining 49 recycled 452,000 items between them – just 8% of the total items known to have been collected. Of most concern, only 50,000 items were identified by councils as eligible for reuse.

Two-thirds of councils (255 in total) could not share how many bulky household items they sent to landfill. The 31 councils admitting to using landfill sent a staggering 415,255 items between them. Encouragingly, 81 councils reported sending no bulky waste items to landfill.

Where do I get a bulky household item repaired? 

With repair cafes popping up around the UK, people have the opportunity to learn how to do simple mends or have more complicated items fixed by a professional.

The Community Repair Network operates nationwide and will help you to find a local voluntary repair group or support you to set up a new group.

Repair Cafés are free meeting places where you work with experts to repair . Helpfully, their website also has lots of easy to follow guides if you want to try simple repairs at home.

Similarly, if you have broken electronics, check out The Restart Project. The organisation helps people run repair events in their communities and trains novices in repair skills. With over 53 million tonnes of electronic waste produced each year, above all else, keeping electricals items out of landfill is crucial.

Where can I recycle a bulky household item?

Firstly, check your local council’s website for details on the items they collect for recycling. Don’t forget, many charity shops are also in need of good quality furniture and appliances, so speak to shops in your local area.

Secondly, find your local reuse and recycling point on the Material Focus website. The not-for-profit organisation is on a mission to stop electricals being hoarded and thrown away.

Furthermore, Zero Waste Scotland is a brilliant resource for advice on how to live more sustainably and create less waste.

Tips for reducing purchases

Don’t be afraid to ask to borrow. Households have an average of 56 unused items lying around so next time you need something you’re unlikely to use again, why not ask friends or local community groups if they have the item to loan.

Try hiring rather than buying the bulky items you need. Across London, the Library of Things offers the opportunity to borrow a range of items from neighbours, from pressure washers to air conditioners. If you’re doing DIY, check out National Tool Hire as another great alternative.

Check out Gumtree’s Freebies section to see whether what you need is already available in your local community for £0. Top tip: Set up search alerts to be the first to know when the item you want is posted.

How much are common bulky waste items worth?

Additionally, the report reveals the most commonly collected bulky household items by councils. The top five items are mattresses, sofas, fridges/fridge freezers, chairs/armchairs, and bed frames/bed bases. 

However, these are some of the most in-demand items by buyers on Gumtree – meaning there’s potentially money to be made from the things you no longer need.

Average selling prices for large household items on our platform include: 

Finally, want to know how to sell successfully on Gumtree? Check out our guides for hints and tips to secure top sales.

Sources
* £194m calculation. Average cost of bulky waste collection cost across all UK councils is £35.03. Multiplied by the 5,531,303 items recorded as being collected by councils in the FOI request = £193,761,544.09.
** Gumtree sent Freedom of Information requests to all local councils and local authorities in the UK (367). The request asked councils seven questions about their approach to bulky waste items. In total, 292 (80%) councils responded to the request within the agreed cut-off date of 31 January 2024.