How do I Dispose of a Gaming Chair?

When You Should Dispose of a Gaming Chair

There are many instances when you need to dispose of a gaming chair.

If the chair is irreparably broken and causing you pain, it’s important to replace it with a suitable gaming chair as soon as possible.

Many gaming chairs, even those from higher-tier brands, will break down in about 5 to 10 years.

You may need to dispose of a gaming chair if you get the opportunity to upgrade to one that’s higher quality or better suited to your body.

Depending on what prompts you to dispose of the chair, you have many options to dispose of it.

Read More >> How Much Should You Spend on a Gaming Chair?

Disposing of a Gaming Chair that Still Has Life

If your gaming chair still has useful life left, it’s best to find a route that keeps it out of the landfill.

Not only does this benefit the environment, but it provides you the opportunity to get some return on your investment or contribute to your community.

Your options here include:

• Selling the gaming chair
• Donating to a thrift store or local charity
• Gifting to friends or family
• Leaving it at the curb

Your options vary depending on your location, but you should be able to find a new home while disposing of your gaming chair.

Selling:

The market for gaming chairs is higher than ever, and people are looking to save some money while finding quality pieces of furniture.

If you live near a college or university, you will find plenty of students looking for a high-quality chair at a lower price. Posting flyers in common areas can help you find a buyer quickly.

Another option is posting the chair to online markets, such as Craigslist or Facebook’s Marketplace.

 Clean the chair up and post a few well-lit pictures with an accurate description of the chair’s condition.

Just make sure you don’t offer to ship the chair. This costs hundreds of dollars for a gaming chair, so it isn’t usually worth it to ship.

Donating:

There are several options for donating your gaming chair. Look for:

• Charities
• Non-profits
• Community assistance programs

Many non-profit organizations run thrift shops to help fund their operation. Your local thrift store may be one of these in disguise.

Donating the chair gets it off your hands without putting it in a landfill.

Depending on the worth of your chair and where you donate it, this method offers the chance to use the donation as a write-off on your taxes.

Gifting:

If you have friends or family that need a chair for their office or gaming setup, this is an easy way to boost your relationship.

It’s easy to discredit need because they won’t use it in the same way, but consider that:

• Gaming chairs work well as office chairs
• Console/television setups benefit from gaming chairs
• This gets the chair off your hands quickly

If you aren’t sure what to do with your gaming chair, send out a quick message or post about it on social media and see if anyone bites.

They may even offer you money for it, but gifting it still benefits you in some ways.

Curbside:

Check your local ordinances to see if they allow you to leave large items at your curbside. If so, you can put the chair out at the curb and someone is likely to snatch it up.

If you leave the chair at the curb, make sure it can’t roll off and impede traffic. It’s still your responsibility until someone else takes it up.

Some apartments let you leave free items in a certain area or have a bulletin board you can post a flier on.

Just check with your leasing office or apartment manager to see if they have a similar alternative.

Disposing of an Unsalvageable Gaming Chair

If the chair is beyond repair, your options include:

• Recycling certain parts
• Upcycling the chair
• Salvaging usable materials
• Sending it to a landfill

You can use a blend of these methods to limit the ending effects on the environment.

Recycling:

Your ability to recycle the chair is limited. In most cases, you’ll only be able to take it apart and send the metal to a scrap dealer.

The other gaming chair materials are hard to recycle because they comprise multiple types of fiber, plastic, or wood. In most instances, they cannot be recycled.

If you insist on recycling the entire gaming chair, check with local recycling companies to see if any specialize in furniture.

These are usually the same companies that handle items like strollers, car seats, or weight equipment.

Some gaming chair companies, such as Steelcase, have programs in place to prevent their products from ending up in a landfill.

Steelcase specifically pairs you up with a consultant to help you figure out what your options are and aid your search for donation or recycling centers.

Upcycling:

If you’re artsy or creative, the materials of a used gaming chair provide endless possibilities.

Intact casters make it an obvious candidate for a rolling platform, but others have used old office chairs to make pet beds or lawn furniture.

This isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth considering.

Salvaging:

Because many office chairs use similar materials, you can try to salvage any parts of the gaming chair that are not broken.

This will help you out if your new chair runs into an issue, like a broken caster, and it keeps these parts out of the trash.

Common examples include:

• Casters
• Legs
• Gas cylinders
• Separate lumbar or neck supports
• Arms
• Hardware

You can also sell the viable parts separately online without worrying about selling the whole chair.

Read More >> How Do Office Chair Cylinders Work?

Landfill:

The most conclusive option for the disposal of your gaming chair is sending it to the landfill.

Check with your local guidelines before you dispose of it.

Some require you to haul large furniture on your own, and they may have special methods of disposal for chairs with electronic components like speakers or massage motors.

Ideally, you would take the chair apart to recycle the metal before sending the rest to the landfill.

This is also the easiest way to transport a gaming chair without requesting pickup or using a larger vehicle.

When to Fix a Gaming Chair Instead

If you’re looking to dispose of your gaming chair because of damage or broken parts, there are options for fixing it.

Some of the easiest issues you can repair yourself include:

• Reupholstering the chair (for fabric covers)
• Replacing the gaming chair cushion
• Replacing or upgrading chair casters
• Tightening loose screws or bolts
• Replacing missing screws or bolts
• Replacing the gas cylinder
• Lubricating chair joints

Read More >> Can Office Chairs Be Reupholstered?

Check to see if you’re willing to take on ‌repairing your chair. This can save you money and keep your gaming chair out of the landfill.