Grad shape
Grad shape
Recycling tips & ideas

♻️ Old furniture - recyle, repurpose, reinvent

♻️ Old furniture - recyle, repurpose, reinvent
The FFC News Team

By

The FFC News Team

30 Apr 2025

Recycling, repurposing and reinventing your old furniture are just three of the ways you can help yourself, others and the environment. Here are a few quick ideas for three items that we probably all own. Chests of drawers, cabinets and cupboards.

Follow us:

Does it really need to go to the tip?

Unwanted chests of drawers, cabinets and cupboards can become much more than just scrap for collection. Consider giving them a new lease of life with one of the three "R"'s.

{{ post.title }} post image 1

Recycle -

Three suggestions that are good for everyone

It may not be something you want in the home anymore but that doesn't have to be the end.

1. A new home - A straight donation to charities such as British Heart Foundation shops or Cancer Research.

2. Getting handy with your tools - disassembling to sort the wheat from the chaff. For example cheaper, composite materials such as chipboard might be in the mix with something much nicer like oak or walnut. The chipboard might only be fit for recyling but an oak shelf can be used again in a new project. If not then the fixings such as hinges and handles can be salvaged at least for future use before disposing of the carcass.

3. Call us for advice on maximising the recycled value of your furniture if you're not sure or don't have time for either of the above.

{{ post.title }} post image 1

Repurpose -

Get creative with it's job title...

From bedroom drawers to pet hotel. Drawers can be perfect homes for tortoises, guinea pigs, and more. You can also add a mesh front to the chest (without the crossbars) to create a new apartment for a rabbit or two. Find inspiration on Pinterest

Cabinets minus the doors make a great storage unit for DIY consumables such as paint and decorating materials. And a shallow chest of drawers on runners with added dividers makes a great place to store smaller DIY items like screws, nails and fittings.

Loft storage - You can often disassemble tired-looking flat-pack furniture that still works to get it through the loft hatch and then rebuild it to create useful storage space for delicate items in your loft space.

{{ post.title }} post image 1

Reinvent -

Makeover magic - something old fitting into a new scheme

If you like a piece of furniture but it's faded, marked, or the wrong colour, consider using chalk paint on it. These amazing paints allow you to change not just the colour, but the whole character of a piece of furniture.

This cabinet for example, was once a dull, dark and badly marked eyesore. It had a nice shape and interesting handles and hinges however, making it the perfect candidate for Annie Sloane's range of paints and treatments waxes.

After some prep work, the cabinet was painted and waxed. Now, it stands proudly in the nautically themed corner of the Edwardian entrance hall.

Recycling tips & ideas
– need help with this?

We can probably answer your questions or at least give you some good useful and free advice.
Your email address is safe with us. We hate spam and respect your privacy.

Was this article helpful?
Your feedback helps us to improve our service - thanks!
Let's keep Kent and East Sussex looking beautiful -
“Consuming less means throwing away less, while reusing things actually helps to save the planet as well as the pennies.”
Sheherazade Goldsmith

More tips, ideas and advice

👁️ More articles? Back to the list page

Schedule a Collection

Let us know the best time and date for you. We'll try our very best to accommodate and call you ASAP to confirm.