From 1st January 2023 new legislation from the Environment Agency came into effect regarding the storage and disposal of waste upholstered domestic seating containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

From this date, upholstered furniture containing POPs cannot be safely disposed of in general waste or in landfill sites and should be treated as a separate waste stream. This means that these items must be safely disposed of through incineration.

POPs are poisonous chemical substances that remain intact in the environment for long periods and are harmful to the environment, wildlife and humans if they are not disposed of safely.

Investigative work carried out by The Environment Agency has identified quantities of POPs and other hazardous chemicals in the foam of upholstered seating.

Upholstered waste domestic seating examples, this includes any part made of or containing leather, synthetic leather, other fabric, or foam:

• Sofas
• Sofa beds
• Armchairs
• Kitchen and dining room chairs
• Stools and foot stools
• Home office chairs
• Futons
• Bean bags, floor and sofa cushions

The following items of domestic seating are unlikely to contain POPs:

• Items that are not upholstered, without cushions.
• Deckchairs
• Wastes from manufacturing new domestic seating (and the manufacturer can demonstrate do not to contain POPs)
• Mattresses, curtains, blinds and beds are not domestic seating and are not covered by this guidance.

POPs may also be found in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), this may include:

• Office equipment – non-household types such as photocopiers and printers
• Printed circuit boards
• Cables and granulated cable plastics
• Plastic cases from display devices (flat panel displays and cathode ray tubes)

For more details on WEEE that may contain POPs please visit the .gov website for further details.

Customers must inform us if they have any upholstered furniture containing POPs so we can arrange safe and legal collection.  Please note we are no longer able to collect any of these items if they are left outside as part of your general or other waste. 

For further information about the new regulations, visit .gov.