From 24 April, the way that we collect waste sofas and other upholstered items will change. This is due to new guidance from the Environment Agency that changes how items containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) must be disposed of.
You can read more guidance on identifying and classifying waste containing PoPs.
The reason for the change in the collection and disposal of these soft furnishings is due to the presence of these pollutants in the items.
POPs Collections
As a result of the new guidance, upholstered furniture will need to be collected separately from other furniture, bulky waste from homes or waste dumped on our streets. They will be sent for incineration, rather than recycling, due to the potential of POPs leaching into the environment. When they are burnt the process creates electricity.
See below a list of examples of upholstered furniture:
- Sofas, sofa beds and armchairs
- Home office chairs
- Upholstered kitchen and dining room chairs
- Leather chairs
- Futons and pouffes
- Upholstered stools and footstools
- Beanbags
- Floor and sofa cushions
This means that if a bulky collection or a fly tip contains a sofa or other upholstered items, these will be collected separately by the ‘POPs Team’. If these items are present then they will be stickered and removed. Sometimes this may be earlier or later than the other items. Residents should not be concerned if these items remain and only need to contact us if they have been stickered for 24 hrs and not collected. The sticker is shown below.
The impact on residents should be minimal. Systems and confirmation emails have been changed to reflect this and our web pages.
Residents should also be advised that if they take these items to Jenkins Lane RRC, they will be directed to a separate area for these items. Further information on disposing of upholstered furniture can be found on the East London Waste Authority website.
