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getting rid of old sofa - cheapest way?

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  • eastmidsaver
    eastmidsaver Posts: 288 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    thanks for the responses.
    my first thought was to just offer it out for free,  but as it has no fire labels on them (must have fallen off),  i don't think this is an option sadly.
    charity won't take it due a few tears on it.
    i think i will just pay the council to take it... i just hope they dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way.
  • lesalanos
    lesalanos Posts: 863 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    You don't need fire labels for facebook/freecycle
  • diystarter7
    diystarter7 Posts: 5,202 Forumite
    1,000 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper
    20 quid is cheap compared to what we have to pay.
    Often when buying something big new they will offer a collection but it is too late for that

    As you said go for the 20 pounds
  • Eldi_Dos
    Eldi_Dos Posts: 2,130 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    lesalanos said:
    You don't need fire labels for facebook/freecycle
    I am dismayed to hear that, but if furniture does not meet modern requirements it needs to be taken out of circulation not disposed of to the unwary or unscrupulous.
  • donutandbeer
    donutandbeer Posts: 204 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    Our council charges £35 per item so £20 seems alright to me 🤪
     
    I would try to give it away for free on local facebook groups first as well.
  • Rosa_Damascena
    Rosa_Damascena Posts: 6,968 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    Eldi_Dos said:
    lesalanos said:
    You don't need fire labels for facebook/freecycle
    I am dismayed to hear that, but if furniture does not meet modern requirements it needs to be taken out of circulation not disposed of to the unwary or unscrupulous.
    The regs have been in place since the 1980s, so I would be confident that any piece of furniture I secured from such sites once had the safety tag attached. No one buys a sofa thinking of the day the need to replace it.
    No man is worth crawling on this earth.

    So much to read, so little time.
  • casper_gutman
    casper_gutman Posts: 849 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Eldi_Dos said:
    lesalanos said:
    You don't need fire labels for facebook/freecycle
    I am dismayed to hear that, but if furniture does not meet modern requirements it needs to be taken out of circulation not disposed of to the unwary or unscrupulous.
    There are different levels of risk, and it's possible to be over cautious.

    A charity shop or similar will probably refuse a sofa/armchair unless the label os physically attached. However, if you know where and when you bought an item then it may be perfectly possible to find documentation to confirm it meets fire resistance standards to your satisfaction and that of someone to whom you propose to give the sofa.

    I once tried to donate a three-piece suite, all matching and in good condition. Two items still had the labels. The third one, you could see where the label had torn off underneath. The charity's rules meant they couldn't accept this armchair, but if I'd been offered the items personally I'd have been happy they were safe.
  • Eldi_Dos
    Eldi_Dos Posts: 2,130 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Eldi_Dos said:
    lesalanos said:
    You don't need fire labels for facebook/freecycle
    I am dismayed to hear that, but if furniture does not meet modern requirements it needs to be taken out of circulation not disposed of to the unwary or unscrupulous.
    The regs have been in place since the 1980s, so I would be confident that any piece of furniture I secured from such sites once had the safety tag attached. No one buys a sofa thinking of the day the need to replace it..
    My dismay was that the sites mentioned by previous poster were allowing furniture without fire labels to be traded, I have no experience of these sites and would be grateful if someone could confirm that is happening, if so seems like a loophole that needs to be closed.

    Although you may be confident you had got a piece with no label that once met the regs if you lived in a high rise with say 300+ flats would you be sure that others who had taken the same chance had all been lucky to?
  • Eldi_Dos
    Eldi_Dos Posts: 2,130 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    @casper_gutman, you mention different levels of risk, in the workplace  it is not uncommon to come across people who think rules do not apply to them and in my experience they are the ones most likely to come a cropper sometimes involving staff that are nearby them. Managers and safety officers encourage reporting of near misses as a flag that can show were action needs to be taken,as the saying goes it's not the near misses that stop you from going home that night.



  • casper_gutman
    casper_gutman Posts: 849 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 22 May 2022 at 8:18PM
    @Eldi_Dos that all sounds very familiar. I've worked as an engineer in high hazard industries and know well the dangers people with a poor safety attitude cam pose.

    That said, most businesses don't need to take safety to the point where they're holding meetings of a dozen independent experts to decide whether they need a fourth backup system to deal with the possibility of two once in a thousand year events occurring simultaneously. If Tesco did that sort of thing they'd be out of business PDQ.

    As I said, it's possible to be "too safe". At home, in the absence of laws which are actually enforced, I get to decide where I draw the line.
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