Starting Sunday, December 1, 2024, householders in Devon will face new regulations concerning the disposal of upholstered furniture, commonly referred to as Waste Upholstered Domestic Seating (WUDS).

In compliance with updated requirements from the Environment Agency, residents will now be limited to disposing of these items at eight designated Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

WUDS encompasses a range of furniture pieces, including sofas, armchairs, recliners, futons, and upholstered garden furniture. These items are of particular concern because they often contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and other hazardous chemicals. Used primarily as fire retardants, these substances can linger in the environment and accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and wildlife, posing significant health and environmental risks.

Due to the regulations, it is now mandatory for all WUDS to be segregated and transported separately from other waste. Consequently, specific facilities must be developed at HWRCs to properly manage these materials, leading to a reduction in the number of sites that can accept them. Unfortunately, many recycling centres in Devon will not have the capacity to take WUDS.

The HWRCs designated to accept Waste Upholstered Domestic Seating include: Brunel Road in Newton Abbot (Teignbridge), Knowle Hill in Exmouth (East Devon), Pinbrook Road in Exeter, Ashley in Tiverton (Mid Devon), Seven Brethren in Barnstaple (North Devon), Bideford (Torridge), Ivybridge (South Hams) and Okehampton (West Devon)

Residents are urged to ensure they dispose of their WUDS at the appropriate locations after December 1, either by visiting the designated sites or by arranging a bulky collection through their district council, who will charge for this service.

Councillor Roger Croad, the Cabinet Member responsible for waste services said:

“The Environment Agency require that waste upholstered furniture is incinerated in order to safely destroy the POPs/forever chemicals contained within them."