Quick summary (September 2026): In North London, the easiest free furniture collections are North London Hospice (booked online through its collection partner), the British Heart Foundation, whose furniture and electrical stores are in North Finchley, Edmonton and Holloway, and Barnet Furniture Centre in Friern Barnet. Send photos first, and check upholstered items have a fire safety label. For things charities won’t take, council bulky waste collections range from free in Enfield (up to six non-electrical items) to paid services in Barnet, Haringey, Camden and Islington. If you need a van to get things to a shop or reuse centre, you can get an estimate on our London man and van page.
Moving house is a good time to clear out, and North London has a solid network of charity shops, reuse projects and council services to take what you don’t want. This guide covers Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden and Islington: who collects furniture for free, where to drop off clothes and smaller items, and what your council offers for everything else. If you’re elsewhere in the UK, our guide to donating furniture and household items covers the national options.
Free furniture collection in North London
North London Hospice
North London Hospice runs 21 charity shops across Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Islington and Camden, and it offers a free charity furniture collection through its partner Boxmove. You book with an online form, and the hospice asks for photos, because it has to pay a fee when a collection turns out to be unsuitable. It can’t take broken items, children’s items, white goods, or soft furnishings without a fire label.
If you’d rather drop furniture off, the hospice has furniture shops at 987 High Road, North Finchley (N12 8QR) and Unit 2, 120 High Street, Chipping Barnet (EN5 5XQ). It also runs general charity shops across the area, including one in The Mall, Wood Green.
British Heart Foundation
The BHF’s furniture and electrical stores in North London are in North Finchley (698–702 High Road, N12 9PY), Edmonton (North Square, Edmonton Green, N9 0TZ) and Holloway (83 Seven Sisters Road, N7 6BU). Its other shops, such as those in Enfield and Tottenham, sell clothing, books, toys and homeware rather than furniture.
You can book a free BHF furniture collection online, and your local store contacts you within five working days to arrange a date. Items need to be in saleable condition with all their parts, and upholstered furniture needs a firmly attached fire safety label. The BHF will take bags and boxes of smaller items, but only alongside a furniture donation. It doesn’t take washing machines, tumble dryers or cots.
Barnet Furniture Centre
Barnet Furniture Centre is a furniture reuse charity at 4 Queens Parade Close, Friern Barnet (N11 3FY), helping people on low incomes furnish their homes. It offers free collection in Barnet and the surrounding North London areas for items it can pass on. Email photos with your phone number and postcode to arrange it. Hard furniture needs to be structurally sound, soft furnishings need fire labels and no rips or stains, electrical items must work, and bric-a-brac mustn’t be chipped or broken. Items are accepted at the driver’s discretion.
ReStore Community Projects
ReStore Community Projects in Tottenham Hale (Unit 18, Ashley Road, N17 9LJ, 020 8493 0900) reuses furniture and appliances for people in need. It works with residents of Haringey, Enfield and Camden, and collections are booked through your council.
Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder runs a free furniture collection service booked by postcode. It takes sofas, tables and small electricals in saleable condition, but not white goods like fridges or washing machines.
Clothes, shoes and textiles
Most North London high streets have several charity shops that take clothes, including North London Hospice and the BHF. For bigger clear-outs:
- TRAID offers a free home collection of clothes, shoes and accessories in London (weekdays 4pm to 9pm and Saturdays 9am to 2pm, depending on your postcode). You can also drop donations at its shops or post them through a Collect+ point.
- Haringey Council has eight clothing banks, including ones in Muswell Hill by Highgate Woods, on the High Road near Somerset Road, and at South Tottenham station. They take clothes and textiles in any condition, plus shoes in good condition with the laces tied together.
Reuse and recycling centres
The North London Waste Authority runs the area’s reuse and recycling centres, including Summers Lane (N12 0RF), Regis Road (NW5 3EW), Edmonton EcoPark (N18 3BJ), Barrowell Green (N21 3AU), Western Road (N22 6XJ) and Hornsey Street (N7 8HU). Vans and trailers need to book. Reusable furniture left at Summers Lane goes to the ReUse Shop at Kings Road, Chingford, so decent pieces still get a second life. Check the NLWA page for opening times and any temporary closures before you go.
Council bulky waste collections
For furniture that no charity will take, your council will collect it. At the time of writing (September 2026):
| Council | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Enfield | Free for up to six non-electrical items, or £22 to choose your day. Electricals are charged separately. |
| Haringey | From £20 for one to four items, up to £80 for ten. |
| Camden | £25 for up to five items, £50 for six to ten, £75 for eleven to fifteen. Two free collections a year for residents over 65 or on full Council Tax Support. |
| Islington | £10.82 per item with a £32.46 minimum, and 50% off with Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support. |
| Barnet | From £46.71 for one to three items, up to £119.30 for ten. Book at least two working days ahead. |
Prices can change, so check your council’s page when you book: Haringey, Islington, or find Barnet, Enfield and Camden through GOV.UK’s council finder. Enfield and Camden both point residents to free charity collections first, which is worth trying before you pay.
What charities usually can’t accept
- Upholstered furniture without a fire safety label
- Broken, stained or incomplete items
- White goods such as fridges and washing machines (most charity collections)
- Children’s items like cots (at some charities)
Charity drivers can turn items down on the day if they don’t meet the standard, so send clear photos in advance whenever you’re asked to.
Planning your donations before moving day
Start sorting two or three weeks before the move. Free collections need booking, and slots can be several days out, which doesn’t always fit a moving timeline. Group things by where they’re going: furniture to one charity, clothes to TRAID or a clothing bank, the rest to your council or a recycling centre.
If a collection date won’t come in time, a driver can take items to a charity shop, a reuse centre or a friend’s place for you. Our drivers cover North London, including Barnet, Enfield and Islington, and our small furniture moving service suits a single sofa or a few pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Does North London Hospice collect furniture?
Yes. It offers a free furniture collection booked through an online form with its partner Boxmove. Send photos, and check upholstered items have fire labels, because it can’t take broken items, white goods or children’s items.
Where is the BHF furniture shop in North Finchley?
The BHF furniture and electrical store is at 698–702 High Road, North Finchley, N12 9PY. There are also BHF furniture and electrical stores in Edmonton and Holloway.
Which charity shops take electrical items in North London?
The BHF furniture and electrical stores in North Finchley, Edmonton and Holloway take working electricals, excluding washing machines and tumble dryers. Sue Ryder collects small electricals, and Barnet Furniture Centre accepts working electrical items.
Is there free furniture collection in North London?
Yes. North London Hospice, the BHF, Sue Ryder and Barnet Furniture Centre all collect free, and Enfield Council collects up to six non-electrical items free of charge.
