What my new sofa looks like......
Finally, I have a new sofa being delivered this Friday. The sofa in our family room has…well…seen better days. Much better days. I’ve ordered slip covers, which cover the surface, but the cushions are tired of being sat on by various derrieres, and have said, “That’s it, honey. We’re done“. So after probably a dozen years of hard living, a new sofa from Arhaus is being delivered this Friday. But never, never, never did I know I’d have such a problem getting rid of the old one. Because while this sofa is older, it still has a little life in it.
I tried Salvation Army…their first pickup avail is well into the summer…and I have no place to store it until then. I called Goodwill…I was told by a very nice woman that they no longer do pickups. I said, “Maybe I can find a way to get it to you?” And she said, “We’re not accepting any upholstered furniture unless it’s in like new condition.” I said, “I’ll bet you don’t get much of that, do you?” She said, “Nope“. And like-new does not describe my sofa…even though my daughter still loves it and hates to see it go. It is still pretty comfy. Perfect for a college apartment…you don’t have to worry about spilling something on it.
So while I hate the idea of putting something in a landfill….I went online to Baltimore City to schedule a bulk trash pickup. The link for pickup request no longer exists….so I called 311 to inquire about it..knowing with the current budget troubles, there had been talk of getting rid of bulk trash service. Anthony at 311 confirmed that this is the last month for bulk trash, and since the 4th Friday(as in this Friday) is my pickup day(see where I’m going here? One last pickup for old time’s sake?)….but Anthony quickly disabused me of that notion. “Oh, this Friday is a furlough day, so Baltimore City workers are off that day.” Damn. Budget problems coming home to roost…at my house.
So here’s a question for you…what does one do with a sofa one no longer wants? Hmmmmm? Leave it by the side of the road somewhere, with a note saying, “Please take care of me” ? ? Just kidding everyone, I would never do that, but here’s the problem…lots of people will do that without a backward glance, if there’s no bulk trash pickup available. So what is already a problem in the city…trash dumping…will only get worse as the places to get rid of things close their doors.
