Short answer: In 2018, the most recent year on EPA's product-specific page, the United States generated 12.1 million tons of furniture and furnishings waste. EPA reports that 80.1 percent of it was landfilled and 19.5 percent was combusted with energy recovery. EPA does not give a recycling rate for furniture, and it does not report office furniture separately from household furniture.
- The 2018 figures
- What the numbers cover, and what they don't
- Why office furniture is part of the problem
- What companies can do at lease end
- Cite or embed this page
The 2018 figures
EPA counts furniture at the end of its life, after primary use and any reuse by later owners, using Department of Commerce sales data. The table below is EPA's own breakdown for the furniture and furnishings category.
| Management route, 2018 | Tons | Share EPA reports |
|---|---|---|
| Generated (total) | 12,080,000 | 4.1% of all municipal solid waste |
| Landfilled | 9,680,000 | 80.1% |
| Combusted with energy recovery | 2,360,000 | 19.5% |
| Recycled | 40,000 | No rate given (see note) |
Tons converted from EPA's table, which reports thousands of U.S. tons (12,080; 9,680; 2,360; 40). EPA rounds generation to 12.1 million tons in its text.
For scale, EPA puts furniture and furnishings generation at 2.2 million tons in 1960. By 2018 it was 12.1 million tons. Wood is the largest material in the category by weight, followed by ferrous metals such as steel.
What the numbers cover, and what they don't
- It is all furniture, not just office furniture. EPA's category includes items such as sofas, tables, chairs and mattresses. Office workstations, desks and task chairs are inside that total, but EPA does not report them on their own.
- It is municipal solid waste. EPA's municipal solid waste figures cover what homes, businesses and institutions throw away. Construction and demolition debris is tracked separately.
- It is 2018. That is the latest year on EPA's product-specific page. Newer national figures for furniture had not been published there when this page was checked.
- Reuse is not in the waste count. Furniture that is resold or donated and stays in use is not waste yet, so it does not appear in these numbers until it is finally discarded.
Why office furniture is part of the problem
Office furniture tends to leave buildings in large batches on a fixed date. When a lease ends, the tenant usually has to return the space empty, and a floor of workstations, pedestals, files and chairs has to be gone by a deadline. When that planning starts late, the fastest option is often a roll-off container.
Much of that furniture is built to last. Systems furniture is largely steel frames, panels and worksurfaces, and designer task chairs are made to be serviced and reupholstered. Matched runs from one installation are exactly what other companies look for when furnishing a new space, which is why timing, not condition, is so often what decides whether furniture gets a second life.
What companies can do at lease end
The order matters. Work down this list and the landfill only gets what is truly left over.
- Inventory early. Count and photograph what you have 10 to 12 weeks before the lease ends. Brand, condition and matched quantities decide what each piece can become.
- Reuse it yourself. Move what fits into your next space or another office first. It is the simplest form of diversion.
- Resell what has a market. Matched workstations and designer seating in good condition are the strongest candidates for resale to other companies.
- Donate usable pieces. Schools, nonprofits and community groups can often use desks, chairs and storage. Arrange pickup timing well before your deadline.
- Recycle the rest. Steel and aluminum frames, cardboard and packaging can be recycled, and electronics should go to an e-waste recycler that issues certificates of data destruction.
- Document it. Ask for an itemized inventory and a diversion summary showing what was resold, donated, recycled and landfilled, so the result can go in a sustainability report.
Office Station plans this as part of every project. See furniture disposition for how routes are chosen piece by piece, and office decommissioning for the full lease-end scope, including e-waste and data destruction. For more detail, read the guides to office furniture disposal and e-waste and sustainable office furniture.
Cite or embed this page
Writers, students and sustainability teams are welcome to use these figures. Please cite EPA as the primary source; a link to this page is appreciated.
Office Station. "Office furniture and the landfill: the numbers." officestation.com, https://officestation.com/office-furniture-landfill-statistics/. Data: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data," 2018 figures.
To embed the headline figures, paste this HTML into your page:
<figure><blockquote cite="https://officestation.com/office-furniture-landfill-statistics/"><p>In 2018 the U.S. generated 12.1 million tons of furniture and furnishings waste. 80.1% was landfilled and 19.5% was combusted for energy recovery.</p></blockquote><figcaption>Source: U.S. EPA, Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data. Via <a href="https://officestation.com/office-furniture-landfill-statistics/">Office Station</a>.</figcaption></figure>Frequently asked questions
How much furniture ends up in landfills in the U.S.?
According to the U.S. EPA, 12.1 million tons of furniture and furnishings were generated as municipal solid waste in 2018, and 80.1 percent of that, about 9.68 million tons, was landfilled. Another 19.5 percent was combusted with energy recovery. EPA's category includes items such as sofas, tables, chairs and mattresses.
What is the recycling rate for office furniture?
EPA does not publish one. Its 2018 table lists 40 thousand tons of furniture and furnishings as recycled, and it notes that although recovery of wood, textiles and metals may be occurring, no measurable data source was available except for mattresses. EPA also does not break office furniture out from household furniture.
Does EPA track office furniture separately?
No. EPA reports one category, furniture and furnishings, inside municipal solid waste, which covers waste from homes, businesses and institutions. Office desks, chairs and workstations are counted in that total but are not reported on their own.
How can a company keep office furniture out of the landfill at lease end?
Start early. Inventory what you have, then route it in order: reuse inside the company, resale of matched furniture in good condition, donation of usable pieces, recycling of steel, aluminum and e-waste, and landfill only for what is left. Ask for an itemized inventory and a diversion summary so the result is documented.
Can I use these numbers in my own report or article?
Yes. The figures are EPA's, so cite EPA's Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data page as the primary source. If this page helped you find or explain them, a link back is appreciated, and the citation line on this page can be copied as is.
