If you are upgrading your office to smart building technology, why not reinvent the entire space? Smart building technology makes smarter use of occupant-centric space. You no longer need the space-hogging desks and filing cabinets.

Before you can improve your space, however, you need to figure out what to do with the old office furniture and lighting.

Some of your furniture may have value in the secondhand market. To find out, call in an office furniture liquidator. They clear out office furniture and resell it. But as other offices upgrade, too, there is less demand for your old furniture. 

Time was when this furniture would be thrown in the dump. The carbon-neutral office recycles it. Most waste management and junk removal companies provide recycling services. Here is how to sustainably dispose of your office furniture.

Fluorescent Lighting 

Energy-efficient LED lighting that dims as people walk through a space is a popular feature of smart buildings. So what do you do with all those fluorescent light bulbs? You may have dozens or even hundreds. 

Fluorescent lighting contains mercury, so placing the bulbs in the general waste stream is not a safe disposal method. A recycling company will sell you special packaging to package up the bulbs or have its own staff do the packaging before hauling off the lighting for safe recycling. Many recyclers will now also recycle old incandescent bulbs. 

Metal Filing Cabinets 

In the paperless, digital society, fewer people have a use for a filing cabinet. Metal filing cabinets can be recycled. Many junk removal companies will take the cabinets and sell them for scrap. If junk haulers will not take them, contact a scrap recycler. They will pay you per pound for the scrap. Likewise, metal desks and tables can be recycled for scrap. 

Wooden Desks

Old wooden desks are heavy and hard to move. Recyclers are happy to take these real wood desks and turn them into mulch. Newer desks are made of various materials. Typically, the desk will be laminated. Both the compressed wood and real wood can be recycled into mulch. Any metal on the desk will be removed (legs, screws, handles) and sold as scrap. 

Office Chairs 

Office chairs are stripped down for their metal. The plastic, wood, leather, and material on older chairs may be difficult to recycle, though. Many newer chairs are being made from recyclable woods and plastics. Unfortunately, some material from an old chair will end up in the landfill. 

To learn more about your options, contact a junk removal company.