Moving out of Copenhagen? What to do with your furniture
Moving out of your room or flat in Copenhagen? If you live in a flat, the building caretaker orders the collection of large household items - and things that still work can go free to someone nearby. Below is what the city and the university themselves say, with the source next to every rule.
Please note: this guide is general information to help you plan, not legal advice. yeybu is not part of, or affiliated with, the city or the organisations named here. Fees, fines, opening hours and rules are set by them and can change at any time; the official page always prevails. No rights can be derived from this page.
When students move in Copenhagen
Many rooms come free around the end of a semester; start sorting out what to give away a few weeks before.
Give it away free
What still works can make someone else happy. On yeybu you can see what is being given away free in Copenhagen, and post something yourself for free.
Large household items (stort indbo)
- If you live in a flat, your caretaker or the person responsible for waste orders the collection of large household items through Nem Affaldsservice. (City of Copenhagen - large household items, 2026-10-07)
- If you live in a house, large household items are collected four times a year. Put them out at the property line no earlier than the evening before and no later than 6:00 on collection day. (City of Copenhagen - large household items, 2026-10-07)
- At most 10 m³ is collected per collection, and boards, table tops and pipes may be no longer than 2 metres. (City of Copenhagen - large household items, 2026-10-07)
- Indoor wood, such as wooden furniture, planks and boards, is sorted separately and placed apart from other large items, because a different waste truck collects it. (City of Copenhagen - large household items, 2026-10-07)
Free reuse at the recycling stations
- At the City of Copenhagen's recycling stations you can give and take free things for reuse, for example toys, kitchenware, clothes, books, electronics, furniture, lamps and prams. Items must be intact, clean and usable. (City of Copenhagen - reuse, 2026-10-07)
- Copenhagen has 5 recycling stations and 13 small neighbourhood stations. The recycling stations are Borgervænget (Sibeliusgade 80), Bispeengen (Bispeengen 35), Kulbanevej (Retortvej 4), Vermlandsgade (Herjedalsgade 2) and Sydhavn Genbrugscenter (Bådehavnsgade 50). (City of Copenhagen - find your nearest recycling station, 2026-10-07)
- At the neighbourhood stations you can borrow a handcart, and at some a cargo bike, to carry your things. There is no room for a car or trailer. (City of Copenhagen - find your nearest recycling station, 2026-10-07)
- The city regularly holds swap markets, repair workshops and other events at the recycling stations. (City of Copenhagen - reuse, 2026-10-07)
Free in Copenhagen right now
Everything being given away free in Copenhagen
Timeline
- 4 weeks before you move: decide what you take, what you give away and what has to go.
- 3 weeks before: post what you give away free online, with photos, sizes and when it can be collected.
- 2 weeks before: if you live in a flat, ask the caretaker when the collection of large items is ordered.
- The week before: take usable things to the give-and-take area of a recycling station; borrow a handcart at a neighbourhood station.
- Keep wooden furniture apart from other large items.
Frequently asked questions
Who orders the collection of large items when I live in a flat?
Your caretaker or the person responsible for waste orders it through Nem Affaldsservice.
Can I leave a usable chair at a recycling station?
Yes. At the recycling stations you can give and take free things for reuse, furniture included, if they are intact, clean and usable.
I have no car. How do I get my things there?
At the neighbourhood stations you can borrow a handcart, and at some a cargo bike.
Every rule above comes from the official source named next to it and was checked on the date shown. Rules can change: if in doubt, check the source.