Abandoning Furniture Could Be a Pricey Mistake

Leases are up and students are beginning to move into new houses and apartments. Many will have nowhere to put unwanted furniture. So, where should unwanted furniture get discarded? Not on Pullman streets, city officials warn.
Old couches and dilapidated desks have a way of appearing on Pullman sidewalks around the end of the year. Many real estate companies have leases that start and end in June. Students are all moving at the same time and many do not know what else to do with their furniture. This practice leaves Pullman looking dilapidated.
“I usually come here a lot during the year,” Pullman visitor Egan Woolf said. “During the late spring and early summer I definitely notice more furniture in yards and sidewalks, it makes College Hill look trashy.”
Aside from making the streets look shabby, discarding furniture could cost you. Furniture left on public property is treated just like littering, Sergeant Daniel Dornes said. Littering fines can range from $50 to $5000 and up to one year in jail. Some people might think the city will take care of discarded furniture. While the city has codes in place to deal with discarded furniture, the residents who leave their furniture on public property will have to pay to clean it up. Students might think that discarding their furniture on private property might keep them from getting fined. That is not the case, according to Sgt. Dornes.
“Most of this type of accumulation usually piles up on the rental property, in and around dumpsters, rather than on the public sidewalks or streets,” Sgt. Dornes said.
Pullman City Code defines discarded furniture as a type of "Public Nuisance" and prohibits it on private property if within view from other private property, or public property, Sgt. Dornes said. A first offense of the city Public Nuisance code is a Class two civil infraction and could cost up to $150, and a second or any subsequent offense is a Class one civil infraciton which could result in a fine of $250, according to Sgt. Dornes.
There are a couple alternatives to leaving furniture on the streets or on private property.
The first option is dumping unwanted furniture at the Whitman County Solid Waste Transfer Station. The facility is open 8am-5pm Monday through Saturday. The contact number is (509) 334-2400. This option is the most reliable option, but requires transportation to get to the transfer station. The station is located six miles north of Pullman.
The second option is to sell the furniture online. While Ebay.com is a good way to sell smaller items, the shipping price on large furniture makes this option less attractive. Ebay.com also requires a membership and a Paypal account, a requirement that may deter potential sellers. Craigslist.com is another site that provides an easy way to sell items. Craiglist doesn’t require an account and serves local areas, eliminating the need for shipping.