A Day in the Life at Coggin SOS: Behind the Scenes of Office Furniture Recycling and Refurbishment

At Coggin SOS, every day revolves around one key goal: serving you, our valued partners. Whether we’re refurbishing or recycling office furniture, our entire process is designed with care, precision, and sustainability in mind. Here’s an insider look at how we meet your needs and uphold our commitment to reducing waste, all while fostering a positive, collaborative atmosphere.

Morning Start: Fuel for the Day and Setting the Plan

Each day begins with our team gathering in the break room, coffee in hand, to set the tone for the day. We review the day’s agenda, align on priorities, and ensure that everyone is fully prepared to take on their tasks. This daily ritual may seem small, but it’s a crucial step in ensuring that your projects run smoothly and efficiently. It’s here that we establish the focus needed to handle everything from refurbishing office chairs to managing large recycling loads. 

These moments of preparation, like the systems we use to refurbish and recycle, are part of our larger mission: to deliver the highest quality service while contributing to a more sustainable world.

Seating Workshop: Breathing New Life into Office Chairs

In the seating workshop, our team gets to work refurbishing office chairs that have seen better days. Every chair that comes into our facility undergoes a thorough assessment. We identify any repairs needed, whether it’s reupholstering the seat, replacing gas lifts, or installing new casters.

Let’s take a look at each step of refurbishing an office chair:

The refurbishment process begins by dismantling the chair, and carefully taking apart the seat, backrest, arms, and mechanisms. This allows us to inspect and replace any damaged or worn components while keeping screws and bolts organised for smooth reassembly.

Next, we strip the old upholstery, whether fabric, leather, or vinyl, to prepare the chair for reupholstering. During this stage, we also check and replace the foam if necessary for continued comfort and support. The new fabric is then chosen, cut to size, and applied to the seat and backrest.

Along with new fabric, we update the chair's internal mechanisms, such as tilt functions, height adjusters, and castors, replacing worn parts with high-quality alternatives to ensure mobility, stability, and ergonomic support.

Finally, the chair is reassembled with all components securely fastened, and it is thoroughly tested to ensure everything functions smoothly.

This detailed process ensures that each chair not only meets but exceeds our standards for comfort and durability.

Recycling is about more than just keeping items out of landfill; it’s about restoring value to materials and products that still have life left in them. Did you know that reusing just one office chair helps to prevent 40 kg of CO2e emissions from being released into the atmosphere? With 1.8 million chairs sent to UK landfills annually, imagine the difference we can make by refurbishing and reusing them instead. 

Desking Workshop: Restoring Desks with Precision

Next door, our desking workshop is where the magic happens with second-hand desks. Led by Dan, the team meticulously examines each desk for wear and tear. From repairing damaged surfaces to resizing them for modern office needs, every detail is considered to ensure that your refurbished desks meet the highest standards of quality and functionality. 

Every job begins with selecting the appropriate stock. Our team works closely with clients to understand their needs and preferences. We carefully inspect the chosen stock, making sure it meets our quality standards before any work begins.

One of the key services we offer is resizing desks to meet the needs of your office. Whether you need to downsize for a more compact space or expand the work surface, we use tools to cut the desks to your desired dimensions. Our high-tech equipment ensures clean, accurate cuts, leaving the resized desk both functional and professional in appearance. After resizing, we re-edge the desks to give them a polished, finished look.

We end with a thorough inspection to ensure that every detail meets our high standards. This includes checking the stability, finish, and overall quality of the refurbished desk.

Refurbishing office desks isn’t just a win for your business, it’s a win for the environment. By choosing refurbished desks, you’re helping to cut down on the raw materials needed for new production. Each desk we restore contributes to the circular economy, reducing waste and minimising your environmental impact. With 1.2 million desks discarded each year, our efforts to refurbish and return these to the economy are critical steps towards sustainability.

Recycling Yard: Turning Waste into Resources

In our recycling yard, we handle the larger tasks of breaking down and sorting bulky office furniture. When lorries deliver loads of used office furniture Gavin and his team oversee the process, using forklifts to efficiently move items around. Each item is sorted based on the materials that need to be separated. We deal with wood, metal, plastic, fabric, and other components, all of which are destined for different recycling processes.

The next step in the process is dismantling the furniture. Every piece is carefully broken down into its core materials. Desks stripped of metal legs, chairs are broken down to separate plastic and fabric, and filing cabinets are emptied of any unnecessary materials. By dismantling each item, we ensure that the maximum amount of material can be recycled rather than sent to landfill.

Each material has its own skip. One for metal, wood, plastics and textiles. This sorting is essential for ensuring that the recycling process runs smoothly, and it helps reduce contamination between materials.

Every tonne of recycled steel saves 1.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions, helping us further reduce the environmental footprint of your office furniture.

And yes, it’s in this yard that Gavin frequently encounters the local wildlife. Just recently, he introduced the team to Boris, a spider he found while dismantling a set of desks.

Break Time: Recharging and Building Team Spirit

No day is complete without some downtime. Breaks are vital to keeping our team energised, and we take them seriously (with a bit of fun). Whether it’s a quick game of darts or a friendly round of cards, our team uses this time to recharge and maintain the camaraderie that makes Coggin SOS such a great place to work. Meanwhile, Dawn and Jess are always on hand, ensuring the workspace stays clean and organised, ready for the next challenge.

Truck Arrivals: Unloading and Sorting for a Sustainable Future

Throughout the day, trucks deliver loads of second-hand office furniture. These deliveries, sometimes thousands of products at a time, are the lifeblood of our operation. Gavin and Dawn carefully manage each arrival, ensuring that every item is efficiently processed. Some items are prepped for resale and donation while others are sent for recycling. Every piece of furniture that comes through our doors is given a second chance, either as a refurbished product or as part of our recycling initiative.

By handling these deliveries with care, we’re ensuring that valuable materials are put back into the economy rather than being wasted. Each truckload is a new opportunity to prevent waste and reduce CO2 emissions.

End of Day: Wrapping Up and Reflecting on the Impact

As the day draws to a close, our team cleans and organises the workshops, ensuring everything is in place for the following day. Dawn conducts a final inspection to ensure the space meets our rigorous standards of cleanliness and efficiency. We finish the day with a debriefing session, reflecting on what we accomplished and planning for the days ahead. These moments of reflection aren’t just about logistics, they’re about continuously improving our processes to better serve you and the planet.

Looking Forward: Committed to a Sustainable Future

Our daily operations might focus on refurbishing and recycling office furniture, but our mission is much larger. Every chair, desk, and cabinet we restore is a step towards building a more sustainable, circular economy. From reducing waste to lowering CO2 emissions, our work directly contributes to a greener future. 

With plans to double our recycling and refurbishment efforts in the next year, we’re excited to keep expanding our capabilities. Your support and choices—whether opting for refurbished furniture or using our zero landfill services—help make all of this possible. 

We’re proud of the impact we make each day, and we’re grateful to you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re shaping a future where waste is minimised, resources reused, and sustainability becomes the standard.