What Happens to Old Divan Beds? The UK Furniture Disposal Report

The divan base is the hardest bedroom item in Britain to dispose of well, because it is built as a sealed unit rather than an assembly. This report from UK furniture retailer Furniture in Fashion explains why a timber frame, platform, padding, fabric, staples and drawer mechanism bonded into one object leaves a household with no clean separation point and no easy route. Reuse hinges on the fire safety label required under the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, and a missing label closes charity routes regardless of condition. Size compounds the problem: a double base at 135cm by 190cm and a king at 150cm by 200cm exceed most car load spaces and often will not turn on a terraced staircase. The report identifies split bases and dismantlable frames as the two choices at purchase that remove the difficulty later, and stresses that a base and its mattress are two separate disposals....