San Antonio leads the nation in the fight against the environmental damage caused by fast furniture trends, new research from lighting brand Pooky shows.
Everyone needs to replace the old couch eventually (Here, the writer pauses to glare at their cat), but the search for room glow-ups has caused an environmental crisis in America's landfills. They are rapidly filling up with furniture as people replace older pieces in search of the perfect style for their homes.
Some cities throw away an incredible amount of furniture. Las Vegas, for instance, junks 547,000 tons of furniture per 100,000 people annually. That's 20 times what San Antonio, the leader in furniture sustainability, sends to landfills (26,046 tons per 100,000 people annually).
A major part of the problem is the fast furniture trend. Many pieces are made of particle board, which is just sawdust and wood chips glued together. It can't be sanded down as it ages, and it can't be recycled into new pieces. All the furniture can do is be thrown away, where they rot in landfills and release greenhouse gases. Laminate particle board can also release toxic formaldehyde.
These pieces are often low-quality as well, meaning they break or wear out faster than other furniture. More breakage means more furniture in the landfill. If the economy is bad, people continue to purchase cheaper, particle-board replacements, perpetuating a cycle that pollutes the environment.
Why is San Antonio leading the nation in furniture sustainability? It may seem counterintuitive, considering that roughly 40 percent of San Antonio residents are renters — people who typically have cheaper furniture and replace it more often. It might have something to do with San Antonio's robust antique and second-hand furniture scene. Combined with the sharp rise in resale platforms like Facebook Marketplace over the last several years, San Antonio has plenty of opportunity to repurpose older pieces rather than junk them.
Rohan Blacker, the founder of Pooky, encouraged buyers to think about the future when purchasing furniture, not just current fads.
"People decorate their homes according to the latest trends," he said. "That's everything that we don't stand for. We stand for lights that are going to last and be with you for the rest of your life - I want you to hand them down."
