Furniture Waste Statistics
Current U.S. figures on furniture disposal, recovery, and retail activity, gathered in one source-backed reference for readers researching the life of a furniture piece.
Last updated September 9, 2026
What the latest national data says
Vintage furniture has a different story from disposable decor. These figures do not measure the resale market on its own. They show the broader U.S. context in which pieces are bought, kept, passed along, recovered, or discarded.
tons of furniture and furnishings entered the U.S. municipal waste stream in 2018
That represented 4.1% of all municipal solid waste generated that year.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018tons of furniture and furnishings were landfilled in 2018
The EPA reported that 80.1% of this product category went to landfill.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018tons were combusted with energy recovery in 2018
That pathway accounted for 19.5% of furniture and furnishings in the waste stream.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018tons were recorded as recycled in the EPA table for 2018
This equals about 0.3% of the category by weight. The EPA notes that some material recovery may occur where measurable national data were unavailable.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018increase in furniture and furnishings waste generation from 1960 to 2018
EPA data rose from 2.15 million tons in 1960 to 12.08 million tons in 2018.
Calculation from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency datain U.S. furniture and home furnishings store sales from January through July 2026
The Census Bureau reported this total was 1.7% lower than the same seven months of 2025.
U.S. Census Bureau, August 14, 2026 releaseKeeping a good piece in use changes its next chapter.
Federal waste data counts furniture only after its primary use and reuse by secondary owners. In other words, a well-chosen vintage dresser, table, chair, or lamp stays out of these end-of-life figures for as long as it remains useful in another home.
The figures also explain why details matter when buying used: dimensions, condition, materials, repair history, and delivery planning all help a buyer choose a piece they can keep. Livia’s Loft shares those details so the next owner can make a considered decision.
Browse vintage furnitureHow to use these figures
Each statistic links directly to the primary source. EPA figures refer to furniture and furnishings in U.S. municipal solid waste and use 2018, the agency’s most recent national dataset for this category. Retail figures come from the Census Bureau’s monthly survey and are subject to revision.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data. Furniture and furnishings data for 1960 through 2018.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey. July 2026 release, published August 14, 2026.
Cite this page
Livia’s Loft. “Furniture Waste Statistics: U.S. Disposal, Recovery, and Retail Data.” Updated September 9, 2026. https://shopliviasloft.com/furniture-waste-statistics