Solutions for old furniture
| Source reduction |
Source reduction is gaining more attention as an important solid waste management option. Source reduction, often called "waste prevention," is defined as any change in the design, manufacturing, purchase, or use of materials or products (including packaging) to reduce the amount or toxicity before they become municipal solid waste. Prevention also refers to the reuse of products or materials.
Thus, source reduction activities affect the waste stream before the point of generation.
MSW is considered to have been generated if it is placed at the pavement or in a receptacle such as a container for pickup, or if it is taken by the generator of waste to another site for disposal or other management alternative.
Source reduction measures encompass a very broad range of activities by private citizens, communities, commercial establishments, institutional agencies, and manufacturers and distributors. In general, source reduction activities include:
Redesigning products or packages so as to reduce the quantity of materials or the toxicity of the materials used, by substituting lighter materials for heavier ones and lengthening the life of products to postpone disposal.
Using packaging that reduces the amount of damage or spoilage to the product.
Reducing amounts of products or packages used through modification of current practices by processors and consumers.
Reusing products or packages already manufactured.
These principles are further discussed in part and are portrayed in case studies. There are case studies for each of the major furniture categories as well as several case studies for reuse and source reduction activities.
Although not all-inclusive, these case studies demonstrate a spectrum of ongoing activities that can result in measurable reductions in materials usage and disposal of MSW.
Materials substitution can make furniture or package lighter. For example, there has been a continuous trend of substitution of lighter materials such as plastics and aluminium for materials such as glass and steel. The substitution may also involve a flexible package instead of a rigid package. A product or package can be redesigned to reduce weight or volume. Toxic materials in products or packaging can be replaced with non-toxic substitutes. Considerable efforts have been made in this area in the past few years.
Lengthening product life delays the time when the products enter the municipal waste stream. The responsibility for lengthening product life lies partly with manufacturers and partly with consumers. Furniture can be designed to last longer and be easier to repair.
Since some of these design modifications may make products more expensive, at least initially, manufacturers should be willing to invest in new product development and consumers should demand the products and be willing to pay for them to make the goal work.
Consumers and manufacturers should also be willing to care for and repair products.
Businesses and individuals can often modify their current practices to reduce the amounts of waste generated. A traditional example is when practical, products can be purchased in large sizes or in bulk to minimise the amount of packaging per unit of product.
Modifying practices can be combined with other source reduction measures to reduce generation and limit material use.
Similar to lengthening product life, reuse of products (and packages) delays the time when the items must finally be discarded as waste.When furniture is reused, presumably purchase and use of a new product is delayed, although this may not always be true.
Before reuse it can be repaired creating value added for some specific companies. Many of the furniture items are reused in sizeable quantities (as well as clothing for instance). However, the recovery of products and materials for recycling does not include reuse of products, but reuse is nevertheless discussed.
The life cycle of a piece of furniture consists of several phases of utilisation. After having served full time on a regular use, furniture is often moved to guestrooms or secondary houses. There is a long tradition of reuse of durable goods such as furniture and carpets. Often this is done informally as individuals pass on used goods to family members and friends.
Other furniture is donated to charitable organisations for resale or for use by needy families. Some communities and other organisations have facilitated exchange programmes for citizens, and there are for-profit retail stores that deal in used furniture, appliances, and carpets. Other furniture are resold by individuals at garage sales, flea markets, …
It can also been collected as bulky waste as it does not always fit into normal waste collection containers.
Borrowing and sharing items like tools can also reduce the number of products to be discarded ultimately. There is generally a lack of data on the volume of furniture reused in the EU countries and what the ultimate effect on MSW generation might be.
Many industries are incorporating reuse concepts as a business practice.
| Incineration and landfills |
The large majority of furniture that it is not re-used ends either in incineration plants with or without energy recovery or in landfills.
Both processes have advantages and disadvantages.
Despite the environmental drawbacks of landfill, most EU MSW is disposed of either on or into the land. The destination of the majority (in average 62%) of the EU MSW is landfill.
This percentage ranges from 28% in Denmark to more than 90% in the Southern countries.
Landfills represent a loss of resources and create costs for monitoring and clean-up operations.
The extent of problems varies according to
The major gases emitted (from organic substances) are methane and carbon dioxide (green house effect).
However, landfill should remain an important option for waste management.
That why there is a Landfill of Waste Directive which is intended to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of the landfill of waste on the environment, in particular on surface water, groundwater, soil, air and human health. It proposes to:
Landfills of furniture, especially wood furniture has not negative environmental impacts. Landfills of wood can even be an environmental asset, given the fact that almost all the wood remains locked away under the ground, keeping high quantities of carbon and reducing greenhouse effect.
The total quantity of MSW incinerated in the EU is about FIGURE million tonnes. Percentage of MSW incinerated range from 0% in Portugal and Ireland to 75% in Luxembourg and Denmark.
In average in the EU, 19% of MSW are incinerated. 37% of incinerated MSW provides energy.
The primary aim for incinerating is to reduce volumes of waste: one incinerated tonne generates 300 kg of ashes that can be landfilled or recycled in construction.
Despite its positive aspects, the environmental impact can also be negative through release of air pollutants (more and more advanced cleaning systems) and secondary waste streams.
A proposal of Directive related to incineration is currently discussed. The proposal:
Incineration of wood, PU foams and cover materials is generating high energy between 15,000 and 30,000 kJ by type of product. This energy can be reused in neighbouring cities of incineration plants if planned.
Emissions in the air are controlled (VOC, metal, adhesives).
| Recycling feasibility |
In the EU, 15% of MSW is recycled (24 million tonnes of MSW).
The main recycled wastes are:
Recycling of furniture means that when discarded, furniture can easily be disassembled and that parts can be reused, materials can be recycled into new materials or exploited for energy purposes.
To facilitate recycling, during the conception and the production, materials should be marked and a guarantee should be given for the separation of materials to allow reuse of materials of parts or best handling as waste.