How to legally dispose of unwanted furniture or white goods in Oslo

Whether you've ordered new furniture, your current appliance has broken, you're having a clear-out, or you're moving out, you may be faced with the problem of needing to move on some unwanted goods. 

This is a bigger issue in Oslo as many live in apartments, and space is at a premium. Therefore knowing the best way of getting rid of something properly can be vital. 

One man's trash... 

First, you may not actually need to throw out the piece of furniture or appliance you no longer need. 

While you may no longer have a use for it, there may be someone willing to take it off your hands- especially if it's going for free. 

Now there are several ways you can do this. The first is Norway's most popular site for ad listings for Finn.no, or you could also let friends and colleagues know by listing the product on Facebook. 

You can also flag up the goods to neighbours by posting in your chat for the block or area where you live, letting them know the stuff in question requires a good home. 

Another solution is to see if any nearby schools are doing a løppemarked (flea market) and are accepting donations. These tend to be at the beginning and end of terms and around Christmas. Most times, you can just donate the stuff to the school the night before the market. 

Although, when using a flea market, the stuff will need to be in good enough condition, so stuff that no longer works will probably get rejected. 

Borettslags dugand's

If you live in a housing association, the board will typically organise a few days a year where residents pull together to get the shared facilities up to scratch. Some will order a skip for the event, and typically when the dugnad is done, residents may be able to use the skip to dispose of their unwanted goods. 

The issue with this solution is that your housing association may not even order a skip in the first place, there may be rules on what you can put in and thirdly, you might not have the time or space to wait for the skip to arrive. 

Disposal firms

One option, which may be best if you don't have a car, or have a lot to get rid of, would be to use a disposal company to get rid of the stuff. 

This is an ideal solution if you can't access a car to move the stuff yourself. However, this comes with the drawback of being a bit pricey, as firms can charge around 400-500 kroner per cubic metre of rubbish that needs to be moved. 

On the other hand, they will ensure that white goods and electronics are responsibly disposed of or recycled. 

When booking one of these firms, you will need to ensure that the company you use has approval from Oslo municipality. 

Municipality sites 

Oslo Kommune also has several municipal places where residents can discard appliances, small electronics, furniture, mattresses, and other household waste for free. This can be done up to 20 times a year for Oslo residents. 

You will need to download GjenbruksID to use the service at the large recycling centres but not at the "mini" ones.  

There are four centres where you can dispose of used white goods. These are Grømmo, Haraldrud, Ryen and Smestad. 

Mattresses and furniture can be taken to Etterstad, Fredensborg, Bygdøy, Bygdøy mobile and Bentsehjørnet. 

Stores  

Elkjop accepts electronic waste and white goods. Old washing machines, fridges, and the like can be taken to any Elkjop store, even if you don't intend to purchase goods from the store. 

From there, the goods are taken to a recycling factory, where the goods are shredded and sorted. 

Additionally, Fretex accepts furniture donations.