Dont Dump Mattresses & Box Springs Heres How To Get Rid Of Them
Never dump mattresses and box springs where they dont belong. Its illegal, it can harm the environment, and its expensive for public agencies to pick them up. Instead, drop them off at a landfill, or dispose of them through a mattress recycling program.
Thankfully, its relatively easy to recycle mattresses in California. California state law adds a small fee to the sale of mattresses and box springs that is used to fund their collection and recycling. California residents will receive a $3 reimbursement when they recycle mattresses and box springs at participating facilities.
Also, if you are buying a new mattress, check with your retailer regarding their pickup options. They may provide you with a free pickup of your old mattress at the time of delivery for no additional cost.
Can An Old Mattress Cause Allergies
Yes, old mattresses often cause allergies. If you have allergy symptoms only at night time, your mattress could be infested with dust mites! They are one of the most common household allergens and like to hide in the cotton folds of your mattress. If you think this is the case, its best to get rid of the mattress immediately and get a new one that is dust mite resistant.
- Inner-Spring Mattresses
Where To Recycle An Old Mattress
You can recycle your old mattress with Bye Bye Mattress, a state-supported and nonprofit-run program.As I’ve mentioned before, mattress recycling is a tricky business, but they can make it a little easier for you.
Managed by the Mattress Recycling Council, the program charges a small tax with each new mattress purchase, enabling the non-profit to assist with retailer buyback and mattress recycling.
Unfortunately, the program is only available in California, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.But dont worry if youre not in one of those states, you can just use our Green Directory to look for recycling centers near you.Simply type mattress into the directorys search bar, add in your address or zip code, then browse through your local recycling facilities to see who would take a used mattress.
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A Mattress Can Be Deemed Unacceptable
Unfortunately, even though you paid that $11 fee when you purchased the bed, it does not mean that it can be recycled when you are done with it. A mattress or other bedding item can be deemed unacceptable if it is contaminated and/or poses a risk to new products, personnel, or equipment. The following are examples of unacceptable items:
- Severely damaged, frozen, stained, soiled, twisted, or wet mattresses, box springs, and foundations.
- If its infested with bed bugs
- Car beds
- Sleeping bags
- Pillows
- Water beds or camping air-mattresses
- Fold-out sofa beds
- Futons & furniture
- If for whatever reason your mattress is considered to be unacceptable, you can contact your city or town to find out which disposal options are available to you.
Reasons To Hire Our Professionals
Our uniformed pick up specialists are fully licensed and insured to enter your home. On arrival they do all the heavy lifting including pick up, hauling and delivery to a recycling center. Most junk removal companies either charge too much or wont take a single mattress or box spring, but we will!View Pricing
Not only will we take just one mattress, but we will also haul away other furniture or couch items if needed. Remember, the earth doesnt want your old mattress, but we do!What We Take
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Check With Your Local Trash Collection Service
In some areas, municipal curbside services will remove mattresses during weekly collection days or on specified bulk pickup days. Reach out to your townâs trash and recycling service to see if this is an option in your area and how items should be prepared for pickup.
| Benefits |
|---|
| – Heavy lifting is done for you. | – Price is subject to increase upon arrival. |
| – Offers a scheduled removal of your old mattress. | – You must be present for the pickup window. |
| – Best for removing only a small amount of junk. |
B Sell Can I Sell My Mattress And How Much For
You can sell your mattress on websites such as Gumtree and . Prices vary according to the condition, size and age of the mattress but most sell for between £15 and £50. In practice, nobody wants a stained or torn mattress, so only consider this option if yours is in great condition. Also, if yours has reached the end of its life and become uncomfortable with springs sticking out or sagging in places it shouldnt, then someone else isnt going to want to have it.
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How To Sell A Mattress
- Sell your mattress locally: Before you consider this option, you should know that selling a mattress may be illegal in your state. Many states only allow you to sell a used mattress after youve cleaned it in a rigorous and specific way. Check with your state to find out its regulations. Because the department that handles bedding varies from state to state, you might have to contact your state departments of Health, Consumer Affairs, Agriculture or Licensing.You arent going to make enough money to justify shipping your used mattress across the country, so think local when you advertise. Anywhere that allows for an advertisement, such as a library, community center or locally-owned restaurant is a good place to start. When youre writing a sales ad, include details about the cleanliness of your mattress along with details about its history: Non-smoking house, no pets and a relatively recent purchase date are all major selling points.
- Sell your mattress online: Websites dedicated to consumer sales are the best place to start when youre trying to sell your mattress. You can also use your social network to advertise your mattress. Place an ad on all of your social networking sites, and encourage your friends to share your post.
Option : Sell Your Mattress
If your mattress is lightly used and still in good condition, why not try to sell it? You could not only put the extra income towards your new mattress, but you could also be helping out someone that cant afford a brand new mattress. Additionally, you are making a smart monetary decision by getting a return on your initial investment. There are plenty of ways to find a new home for your old mattress that take little to no work and zero investment on your end.
Craigslist is a popular classified online posting website and is available in nearly every city in the United States. It is fairly easy to post an ad in your local area for free by offering to sell your gently used mattress and anyone interested in buying can get in touch with you through the site. Make sure to take an attractive picture to entice buyers and make sure you have someone with you when the customer visits for safety!
Facebook Marketplace is another great way to post your mattress or other furniture items for sale. On Marketplace, you can find local people looking to buy a used mattress at a cheaper cost than purchasing a brand new one. You can also make the post public and it will be seen by others in your area and in your larger network of mutual friends and family. Make sure to upload a nice picture and respond quickly for faster selling.
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So How Do You Know If Your Mattress Is In Good Enough Shape To Be Donated
Every charity, organization, and shelter has its own standards for what is acceptable for a donated mattress. However, there are a few standard guidelines:
Odors: Though people can sometimes be noseblind to odors in their own home, a particularly strong odor on a mattress should be noticeable to you. When in doubt, call in a third party, preferably one who you do not live with, to do a sniff test. If you find that the mattress has a slight odor, you can try sprinkling a layer of baking soda on the surface and letting it sit for a few hours. Afterward, vacuum off the baking soda, and then, if possible, let the mattress air outside. If the odor remains, you should reconsider donating the mattress.
In general, figuring out if your mattress is up to donation standards is a matter of common sense.
Make sure the mattress is structurally sound, clean, and free of any infestations or odors. The mattress is not going to help anyone if it cannot be used. Think about whether or not you would want to receive your mattress as a donation. If not, then consider other options.
If you feel that your bed is in good shape for donation, then thats great! You can move on to selecting the right place to donate.
How To Dispose Of Old Mattress
Is it time to replace or upgrade your mattress? A mattress generally lasts around 10 years, so you may or may not know exactly what to do with your old mattress. There are a few different options depending on things like: where your new mattress was purchased, where you live, and what your preferences. Well run down the easiest and environmentally friendly ways to get rid of that old mattress. Since close to 15 million mattresses end up in a landfill each year, its essential to take a little extra time to avoid this whenever possible.
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Can Mattresses Be Put In A Dumpster Where I Live
If you are renting a dumpster for a home cleanup or specific project, contact our team to learn about accepted materials and mattress disposal rules in your area beforehand. There may be an additional charge for each mattress or box spring you are disposing of due to local fees charged by the landfill or transfer station.
Why Would You Want To Buy A Dump Mattress
- Youre a fan of variety the truth is that mattresses of the kind come in a range of different outlets and makes. They are particularly versatile, and thats something that a lot of people look forward to. They cater to a range of different preferences. You can choose different stability, comfort, density, and prices to fit your requirements.
- They are comfortable You can pick between the firm, soft, plush pillow top units and other similar options. The abundance is considerable.
- They are eco-friendly Dump mattresses feature a special kind of gel-infused memory foam. Its called Everfeel Gel, and it takes advantage of organic cotton upholstery which reduces the environmental footprint.
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The final resting place
Since most retailers will take your old mattress when you buy a new one, retailers haul truckloads of mattresses directly to King Countys Cedar Hills Landfill in Maple Valley. The mattresses also come to the landfill from King Countys solid waste transfer stations, brought in by residents and businesses.
Landfill equipment operators hate mattresses. Driving giant bulldozer-type machines, their goal is to pack the garbage down tightly before it is covered. But mattresses dont compact well. Even worse, the mattress springs pop out and get tangled in the equipment, often damaging it. Cedar Hills Landfill operations supervisor Dean Voelker calls this a huge problem.
Because mattresses are so difficult to handle, landfills around the nation have increased the fees they charge to accept mattresses, especially in large quantities. King County will soon begin classifying bulk loads of mattresses as special waste, which is charged a higher fee.
Dreams of recycling
Even the adage Reduce, reuse, recycle doesnt really apply to mattresses. Its hard to reduce the quantities of mattresses being used and disposed of, although if more people coupled up, I guess that would help.
And most people have no interest in buying a used mattress. Retailers do donate some lightly-used mattresses to charities, but most charities do not accept old mattresses from the public.
Fillet The Mattress To Recycle It
St. Vincent de Paul employs workers to fillet or cut apart mattresses using a box cutter. These workers recycle approximately 170,000 mattresses per year. Compared to other mattress parts, material from T frame steel box springs is generally sold for the most money and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Polyurethane from used mattresses is often recycled into wall foaming.
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Free Residential Mattress Recycling Program
The mattress recycling program has received funding to continue through February 2024
Mother Earth Recycling, our partner, will recycle the mattresses and box springs brought to the Brady 4R Winnipeg Depot and keep them out of the landfill.
What’s accepted
- clean, dry mattresses and box springs
There is a limit of six mattresses and box springs, combined, per vehicle.
What’s not accepted
- mattresses and box springs that are:
- soiled
- bed frames
- sofa bed frames
Mattresses and box springs will not be accepted at the Pacific and Panet 4R Winnipeg Depots during the pilot.
For more information on how mattresses and box springs are recycled, visit Mother Earth Recycling.
Option : Donate To Charity
After evaluating the condition of your old mattress and you find that it is still in usable condition, you might want to consider donating your used mattress to someone in need. If you were planning to just get rid of it anyway, why not do a good deed and let the mattress finish out its lifespan in good use. There are many charitable organizations that would be happy to receive a lightly used mattress such as homeless shelters and domestic violence centers. You could donate your unwanted bed to help a family that has lost everything in a fire, earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disasters. You can rest easy knowing your former bed is helping someone less fortunate have a good nights sleep. Learn what organizations accept mattresses and in what conditions.
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The Power Of Job Creation
Being able to document and communicate the job-creating benefits of environmental or sustainable waste management practices is the greatest weapon advocates have. Every advocacy initiative, including those led by national 5014 organizations, should develop their messaging to highlight the job-creating benefits of their policies. Some states have actually already done the research.
So why not use it? For example, The State of Texas recently produced a comprehensive report on the Economic Impacts of Recycling in Texas. The report estimates that an additional 6,000 jobs can be created if the statewide recycling rate increased by 40%. Currently, the statewide recycling rate for Texas is under 30%. Thats a lot of room for innovative job creation!
Circular Economy: Saving The Planet While Creating Jobs
An example of intelligent incorporation of economic benefits into actionable policies can be found at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. They are one of the premier organizations pushing for a transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. A linear economy produces products, consumes them, and then disposes of them.
Simply put, the circular economy is anything that isnt the linear economy . In a linear economy, little thought is put into design, manufacturing, and usage to maximize cradle-to-cradle resource stewardship. A circular economy disrupts this wasteful system. Plaine Products is just one example of how purpose-driven and mission-driven companies can disrupt the linear economy.
If youve never heard of the circular economy, you will over the next few years. Its one of the largest shifts in economic policy since capitalism first emerged from under feudalism.
Remember the Magna Carta? It will transform the way almost all goods are designed, manufactured, transported, used, and recovered to eliminate a lot of the destructive and avoidable waste we currently accumulate. Sustainable mattress disposals plays an important role in this economy of the future.
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How Do I Know When To Get A New Mattress
There are several signs that it’s time to get a new mattress. These include:
Sleeping on an old mattress could have long term effects on your health, so its important to address the issue as soon as possible.
Mattress Fabrics & Fibers
A number of renewable plant and animal fibers including cotton, wool, silk, sisal and coconut fibers are used in mattresses. Another renewable fiber is rayon, which is made from wood and other cellulosic plant fibers. Other textiles and fibers used in mattresses are made from recycled materials.
Recycled Fibers: You can then donate these fibers to clothing stores, thrift shops or art communities. These fibers can also be reused as insulation or filters.
Get Creative with Fibers: You can learn to sew and make clothing and kitchen towels. A very popular type of art is called fiber art that would be a great way to use these materials. View these fiber art products on Etsy to get an idea of different art that has been made with fibers.
**Disassembling a mattress can be dangerous due to sharp objects. Be careful and proceed with caution.
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