Sofa recycling changes at Highland Council waste sites
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Sofas and other upholstered furniture will soon no longer be accepted at some Highland recycling centres – but doorstep uplift will continue.
Highland Council has announced that it is making the changes to the storage a disposal of upholstered seating at its household waste centres in response to new guidance by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
The new guidance relates to the way the council stores domestic seating containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). These are chemical substances that are known to stay intact, do not break down and can have a harmful impact on human health and the wider environment.
Items classed as upholstered domestic seating include settees, sofas, sofa beds, armchairs, including electric reclining chairs, home office chairs, upholstered kitchen and dining room chairs, futons and pouffes, upholstered stools and footstools, beanbags, floor, and sofa cushions.
From January 8 these will now go into separate containers at larger Household Waste Recycling Centres.
But some of the council's smaller centres do not have the capacity for separate containers and from January 15, will stop accepting them – including Grantown, Kingussie, Ullapool, Tain, Bonar Bridge, Lochinver, Tongue, Durness and Kilchoan.
And the council has stressed that when residents plan to take upholstered domestic furniture to one of its centres it is important to check its website to ensure the site accepts them.
The local authority stressed that even though some centres will no longer accept the items, the council's doorstep bulky uplift service will continue to do so – and so communities will still be able to dispose of them.
The potential for pollution and harm to the environment from POPs increases at the waste management and disposal stage when the items become broken up or damaged ahead of disposal. Therefore, waste upholstered domestic seating needs to be collected separately from other furniture. It will be sent to energy recovery facilities where it will be safely burnt to generate electricity. This ensures the chemicals are destroyed or transformed so they cannot be released into the wider environment.
Councillor Graham Mackenzie, chairman of the communities and place committee would like to reassure the public about POPs in their homes, “The risk of exposure to POPs from upholstered furniture is low. Any risk can be greatly reduced by repairing rips and tears as soon as possible.”
He added: “The potential for pollution and harm increases at the waste disposal stage when furniture is broken up for disposal. Please try to avoid breaking up furniture that is being taken to Household Waste Recycling Centres.”
The council added that is support reuse of good quality furniture as the preferable option for disposal wherever possible. Charities will still be able to accept furniture in good condition for reuse, provided the items meet conditions set out in the guidance to ensure they are suitable for reuse.
The council can still collect unwanted upholstered domestic furniture through the bulky uplift service. The way the council collects bulky uplifts complies with the legislation. Damaged, ripped or torn items that may contain POPs must be covered with sheeting and secured with tape prior to collection.
For further information on the storage and disposal of upholstered domestic seating and Persistent Organic Pollutants visit www.highland.gov.uk/recycle or email recycle@highland.gov.uk.
