Responsible house clearance
A clearance should not turn a usable household into instant waste. We work to a simple order: reuse, resale, donation, recycling, then responsible disposal.
This page is about method, not marketing statistics. We do not publish figures such as “98% recycled” because we do not measure every job that way, and a number like that would be a claim rather than a record.
The order we prefer
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01
Keep
Documents, photographs, jewellery, will items
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02
Value / sell
Furniture or collectables worth a second look
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03
Donate
Reusable household goods in a condition a charity can use
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04
Recycle
Metal, wood, cardboard, some electricals
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05
Dispose
Only what cannot reasonably be reused
Reuse
If an item can stay with the family, it should. That is obvious for photographs and jewellery. It is also true for a dining table a relative wants, or a chest of drawers that will fit in a new flat. We would rather you take those things first.
Resale
Some furniture and collectables have a market. We do not offer a valuation service and we do not buy estates. If something may be valuable, set it aside for an auctioneer, dealer or independent valuer before the clearance date.
Donation
Clean, complete household goods can go to a charity shop or reuse organisation. Broken, stained or incomplete pieces usually cannot. Donating during a clearance explains the practical order. Solihull Council also points residents toward charity for furniture in good condition before a bulky booking.
Recycling
Typical streams from a house, when the item is suitable:
- Furniture that cannot be reused — wood and metal separated where practical
- Electrical goods and small appliances
- Books that are not damp
- Clothing that is not suitable for a shop but can go to textile recycling
- Household metal, clean wood and cardboard
Not every item in those categories is recyclable on a given day. Condition, contamination and what the receiving site accepts all matter.
Responsible disposal
What remains should go to a permitted site, not to a verge. Householders should check that the person taking the waste is registered. See waste carrier licence and how to check a carrier.
What this is not
It is not a promise that every sofa will be rehomed. It is not a claim that clearance is “carbon neutral”. It is a working preference: do not treat a household as rubbish until it actually is.