At a glance
- Reuse: furniture and household goods in good condition go to second-hand shops where possible.
- Recycling: wood, metal, cardboard, appliances, mattresses and textiles go to their own processor.
- Set aside: papers, photos, keys and valuables are returned to you.
- Small hazardous waste such as paint is kept apart.
- Residual waste is what is left, not the starting point.
How are the contents sorted during a clearance?
The contents are sorted room by room as they are carried out, not afterwards. Each item goes straight into one of the streams in the truck: reuse, a material stream, or the box for the family.
Sorting on the spot is what makes a clearance take a day rather than an hour, and it is part of the fixed price; see house clearance cost in Antwerpen.
What happens to furniture in good condition?
Furniture and household goods that are clean, complete and usable go to second-hand shops wherever they are accepted: tables, chairs, cabinets, lamps, crockery and books. Shops decide what they take; worn upholstery, broken furniture and particleboard that does not survive dismantling usually do not qualify.
We do not buy or sell anything ourselves. If you want to sell items, do it before the clearance.
What happens to appliances, mattresses and textiles?
Electrical appliances, from fridges to toasters, go to a processor for electrical and electronic equipment. Mattresses have their own recycling stream in Belgium. Clothes and household textiles in good condition go to textile collection; the rest is processed as textile waste. Wood, metal, glass and cardboard each go into their own stream.
What happens to papers, photos and valuables?
Personal papers, photo albums, letters, keys, jewellery and cash we find are set aside in a box and handed to the person who gave us the job. This matters most in an estate clearance, where the family has not always gone through every drawer.
If you are looking for something specific, such as a will or a set of keys, tell us before we start.
Can you take everything to the Antwerpen recycling park yourself instead?
The city of Antwerpen's recycling parks are for private residents of Antwerpen, mostly by appointment, and businesses are not admitted. For a whole home that means many trips with a car or van, sorting at every container, and carrying everything down the stairs yourself.
That is the trade-off a clearance takes off your hands: one crew, one day, sorted and processed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep a few things back?
Of course. Take them out before the clearance, or put them together in one room and mark it clearly.
Do you take paint and chemicals?
Closed containers of paint, solvents and household chemicals are kept apart as small hazardous waste. Industrial chemicals and asbestos are not part of a house clearance.
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