Title pretty much sums it up. I tried donating it to a Veterans agency, but it seems they didn’t want it, since it was too old (/boggle). Probably from the 1970s, and a bit warn near the armrests, but nothing major. Apparently the sanitation company that serves our apartment complex won’t take it either (I asked the office if I could leave it out there at the dumpster, they said the company doesn’t “prefer” that, whatever that means).
Any ideas? Have looked in the phone book for garbage haulers, but it seems they are mostly for construction firms, or people that are cleaning out an attic or something, not really fitting for just one old sofa.
Borrow a friend’s pickup truck, and take it to the local dump or landfill. In my condo complex, there’s a guy who’s lived here over 20 years, who’s got an old banged-up panel truck who’ll take stuff to the dump for about $10 over what the dump charges him to dump. You might find someone like that where you live - cultivate a friendship with that person, because sooner or later you’re gonna have to get rid of the chairs that don’t match the new replacement couch.
Oh! Or… Borrow, rent, or buy a Sawzall, and hack the poor thing up into dumpster-sized pieces.
There are, by the way, liability issues with leaving the couch next to the dumpster, which is probably what your apt manager should have told you. They’ve probably got insurance which’ll cover kids getting hurt playing on or in the dumpster itself (since it is necessary for it to be there), but not for an old couch next to it. Such liability could extend directly to you if you go with Green Bean’s “free” idea.
(Living in a litigous society is a royal pain. 20-something years ago my friends and I found a dumpster in our neighborhood in which someone had thrown a few hundred old horseshoes, complete with bent and rusting nails! One of my friends got a nail in the foot - right through the sole of his Converse All-Star - while we were scrounging for the “best” shoes to take home and shine up. Nobody even thought of suing.)
I used to live in a rather “low rent” neighborhood. One night my wife put out a few small pieces of furniture for the trashman to take. Low and behold, it was gone before the trashman came. After that, if we ever needed to get rid of any furniture, we just put it on the curb with a “free” sign.
My trash hauler charges extra for anything that won’t fit into the can so the last time I had to get rid of a couch I got out my chainsaw and axe and just whacked it into small enough pieces to put in the container. It took 6 or eight weeks to get rid of the whole thing but it was worth it. Every week just knock off a chunk and it won’t take long. If you have a fireplace the wooden parts make nice kindling.
Here in Manhattan I see abandoned furniture on curbsides every day. Today I saw a countertop with European style hinges(worth $20 for the hinges alone) and a friend told me about a stereo he found(sans speakers) and the only problem with it is the CD skips every so often.
I agree with all the other blantant litterers on the board - put it on the curb with a free sign.
If you live anywhere near a college, put up a few signs saying “FREE COUCH” and a phone number/email address. Students really don’t care much about looks in their furniture.
i hate to admit that i did this. load it on a truck around midnight and just drop it somewhere AWAY from you. vacant lot, construction site, parking lot etc. problem solved!
Hmmm. That may work for you “inner city” dopers, but I live in a “courtyard-type” apartment complex and I don’t think my manager would appreciate it if I just set a sofa out on the curb and left it. Also keep in mind that if it rains, ain’t nobody gonna want it.
In my case, the “hauler-to-the-dump” would be my best bet.
I don’t know about where the rest of y’all live,(I live in GA.) but sometimes the furniture store will take an old bed off your hands as well as old washing machines or other appliance as part of the deal. Other than that, you might put up some notices at some low-rent places.
Why don’t you call the city sanitation department and ask them how to handle it? In my town, the City will haul away oversize junk for a small fee, but you have to call them to come get it, and they only do it once a month.
I, too, have gotten rid of many unwanted items simply by leaving them out for the scavengers. I once set out two old computer monitors. By the time I returned to my apartment, 5 minutes later and looked out the window, they were gone!
I live in a small city where the sanitation department sets aside two days a year to pick up furniture, appliances, tires, batteries, paint, and all the other items that are not normally permitted in the weekly curbside pickup. If I can’t wait for the spring or fall cleanups, the department will accept my oversized garbage for an extra fee. I have to call them and coordinate pickup, though. Since you live in a complex that is not serviced by the town, this may not work.
I vote for the student idea. Just put up some fliers near a campus. I got my couch that way and plan to get rid of it the same way at the end of the year. Sometimes I look at it (It’s a gigantic striped/plaid thing, probably from the seventies) and wonder how many other people have owned it and what it’s “seen”.
I think advertising it is nicer than leaving it on the street where rodents and insects might crawl into it before someone takes it.
I tried just about all the stuff above. I work for three thrift shops & people have a habit of ummm dropping stuff off during after hours. I don’t suggest that though.
Have you thought of buying a new sofa & asking them to bring it to your place & take the old one?
