As you get more environmentally friendly, you’ll increasingly find yourself looking for more sustainable ways to do things, from energy use patterns to getting rid of waste. So, if you’re planning on downsizing, re-organizing, or relocating your premises and need to get rid of some old office furniture and equipment, why not do something good while cleaning the house instead of sending them to a landfill?

Repurposed office furniture can be beneficial to many new businesses that are operating on a tight budget. Here are a few things you can do with your used office furniture to help the environment and give back to the community:

• Donate your office furniture to charity. This is probably the most sustainable and straightforward way to get rid of any used office furniture while doing some good for others. You can simply give the furniture to a charity of your choice. Alternatively, you can offer to sell some of the barely used pieces at a giveaway price to interested charities or worthy learning institutions and then donate the rest. Simply announce when interested parties can start making appointments to select the furniture. Afterwards, you can donate the profits as well to another cause of your choice.

• Sell your office furniture and then donate the profits to charity. If you’re not in a rush to get rid of your old furniture, you can opt to sell the pieces individually or in bulk and then donate the proceeds. For large quantities of used furniture, consider working with a Toronto-based office furniture liquidation services provider, who can leverage their network to sell all the items quickly and with great margins. Then, you can find a charity to donate the funds to.

• Recycle your office furniture. Recycling is an environmentally friendly solution to prevent your used furniture from ending up in a landfill. There are different ways to recycle used office furniture, such as refurbishing, reusing, or simply donating it. Alternatively, you can find an organization near you that specializes in recycling office furniture.

If you’re in Toronto, there are a few charitable and for-profit organizations that would be willing to accept your functional, used office furniture. Some places you can donate to in the GTA include:

1. Furniture Bank

You can donate gently-used furniture, such as sofas and bookshelves, to this charity, which then gives it to needy families such as homeless people who have found a home or newcomers to Canada. To donate, simply contact their office to schedule a pick-up. Alternatively, you can fill out a form to drop off the items at their Kipling/Queensway centre at your own convenience.

2. Habitat for Humanity

This is a nonprofit that aims at providing affordable housing for the community. They usually pick up gently-used furniture items and fixtures from donors for free, though you can also drop off your items at any of their 12 Habitat ReStores located around the GTA. Some of the office furniture and supplies they accept include desks and chairs. Any profits they make from their undertakings are channelled towards their construction projects for local families.

3. Green Standards

This is an environmental firm in Toronto that specializes in the redistribution of office equipment, furniture, and supplies. You can donate a wide range of office items, including furniture, chairs, desks, bookshelves, stationary, and other supplies. These items are then given to community charities and organizations.

4. Furniture Bank Mississauga

They accept small pieces of office furniture and supplies, such as tables, chairs, desks under 4 feet long, bookshelves under 6 feet tall, and so on. Consider visiting their website for a list of accepted items and their specifications for donating. You can then choose to drop off the items at their centre, or schedule a pick-up at a fee.

5. Goodwill

They accept donations of gently used office furniture and supplies for resale. The proceeds are then used to create employment opportunities within the community by supporting job training and family/employee strengthening programs. Simply drop off your office furniture at a Goodwill location near you!

6. Red Door Family Shelter

They run a Moving Program that is dedicated to helping families that are escaping abuse or homelessness. They accept a wide range of home necessities, so you may donate small office furniture items such as coffee tables and kitchen tables. You can deliver the items to their centre or schedule a pick-up for a fee if you’re located within a specific region, usually between Markham and Bathurst in Toronto.

7. The Salvation Army

There are many Salvation Army donation bins located throughout the GTA, so you only need to drop off your used furniture items, such as tables, couches, and shelving, at a location near you. If you want to donate multiple furniture pieces (usually more than 3 items), you can arrange for them to pick it up.

8. Just Junk

If you have trouble choosing a charity or nonprofit to donate to or prefer to donate all your items at once instead of separating them for individual charities depending on what they accept, then Just Junk may be the most convenient option for you. They accept all kinds of home and office items, including office furniture that is in decent condition. Most of the items will be sent to other local charities, such as the Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity.

9. Value Village

Unlike the others, Value Village is a for-profit organization that buys used goods for resale. You can sell your office furniture to them and then donate the proceeds to a charity of your choice. You can also choose to give them the items directly, but they will keep the proceeds from the sales. Simply drop off your office furniture at one of their locations near you.

Final Note

Whether you’re cleaning out your home office or other business location, you can do a lot of good for the community and environment by donating to one of the charities and organizations listed above. Your repurposed office furniture and supplies will help improve the quality of life of families and empower the GTA community in various ways.

Since your donation may be tax-deductible, make sure to hold onto your receipts, whether you donate the office furniture outright or liquidate it and then donate the money.

For information on office furniture and equipment liquidation, contact Michaels Global Trading at 888-471-5066.