Bed Bugs And Other Pests
If your mattress has been infested by bed bugs or other pests, then you absolutely should not risk spreading the pests to others. Even recycling the mattress can potentially spread the pests, so proper disposal is vital here.
When disposing of infested items, its important to contain the infestation before attempting to move them. For smaller items like pillows, placing them in a plastic bag will work. Larger items like mattresses should be shrink-wrapped or tightly covered in tarp or painters plastic to contain the pests and prevent further spread.
Once moved outside, clearly label that the mattress is infested to deter anyone who may be tempted to rehome your item before waste disposal picks it up.
Can You Recycle A Mattress
At the very least, some parts of your mattress will be recyclable, and its possible that all of it will be. And yet, according to The Furniture Recycling Group, Wembley Stadium could be filled five times with the 7.5m mattresses that are discarded in the UK every year.
While mattress recycling is relatively labour-intensive, more and more facilities capable of doing so are springing up around the UK. These facilities will break down your mattress into its recyclable components springs can then be melted down and remade into new metal products, while synthetic layers such as foam can either be used to make carpet underlay, or else can be sent to a plant where the waste can at least be converted into energy.
Aside from taking your old mattress to your nearest recycling centre yourself, the best way to ensure your mattress is recycled is to pay for it to be collected. But whether you use the local council, the company delivering your new mattress or a specialist mattress removal company, make sure it is clearly stated that the mattress will be recycled. Otherwise, its probably best to assume that it wont be.
Look Up Your States Policies
Some states like California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have mattress recycling laws in place. The law in these states requires the manufacturers to provide you with a reliable solution to discard your mattress.
If you live in Los Gatos or Bay Area, you can get fined for throwing out your mattress with other waste. So, it is better to check your states regulations before deciding what to do with your old mattress.
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Compare Mattress Disposal Service Prices
Most junk removal companies offer mattress disposal services. These services include at-home pickups where they send professionals to haul your mattress away. They also include recycling services, making sure your item gets sent to the recycler instead of a landfill. However, pricing can be complicated. Some companies charge by weight of the load or by item only. Depending on what you want recycled, and the quantity, certain services may be more suitable for your needs.
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.
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Retailer Will Your New Mattress Retailer Take It Away
Many mattress retailers will take away your old mattress if you buy your new one from them. Some charge and a few offer the service for free.
Below is a table showing how much the major retailers charge to collect and dispose of your old mattress. Be aware that this service is only available if you buy a new mattress from them at the same time:
Bonus: Drop Off Your Mattress At A Junk Drop
Cities may hold free junk drop-off events throughout the year to encourage recycling of larger, harder-to-recycle items.
For example, the City of Surreys annual Pop-Up Junk Drop-Off days occur in the summer. These events attract hundreds of residents who have an old bed or two that need disposing of. Simply make sure you qualify to attend events like these, bring necessary ID, and come prepared with your junk.
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How Casper Can Help
One of the best things about Casper mattresses is that our limited warranty covers the full 10 years. So, youre guaranteed to have restful sleep for a full decade. We believe that improving the way the world sleeps also means improving our impact on the environment. Thats why we created a bedding recycling program called Resnooze & Recycle. If youre looking to get rid of your old bedding, all you have to do is follow three simple steps:
Its a win, win. If youre looking to buy a new mattress, Casper mattresses are specifically designed to last long-term, with comfort in mind.
Do The Council Collect White Goods
collectcouncilcollection10 of the best mattresses – 2019 and 2020
- NEctar Memory Foam Mattress – £699 – medium firmness.
- Leesa Mattress – £650 – medium/firm.
- The Casper Mattress – £600 – Medium tension.
- Silentnight Classic 1200 pocket deluxe/Sofia – £379 – medium to firm.
- Silentnight 3 Zone Memory Foam – £179 – soft to medium firmness.
How to Pick Your Perfect Mattress
- Innerspring Mattresses. Innerspring mattresses are still by far the most widely used.
- Memory Foam Mattresses.
- Latex Mattresses.
- Shamie notes that air beds have long been used for patients with spinal cord injuries who are lying in bed for a long time.
- Adjustable Beds.
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Council Collections Book A Bulky Item Collection From Your Council
If you are a householder, instead of driving your mattress to the tip, one alternative is to book a council bulky waste collection from your home. All councils provide this service to their residents but prices and service levels vary considerably. For example, Southampton Council charges £10 for a single mattress, £20 for a double and £30 for anything bigger than a double whereas Greenwich Council charges £10.30 for any size. In general, while this service is rarely free, it is subsidised so will normally be cheaper than a private waste removal service. However, a private service will usually be able to collect your mattress a lot quicker than your council and also take a wider range of waste types at the same time.
Look Into Producer Take
Did you know about IKEAs mattress take-back program?
If you buy a new mattress from IKEA and have it delivered to your house, you can also off-load your old mattress onto them. Their professional crew will take your old mattress out and swap it with the new one. Then, IKEA will send the used mattresses to the appropriate recycler in your area.
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Put It In A Skip Are Mattresses Allowed In Skips
If you just have a mattress to dispose of, this option isnt worth it. But if you already have a skip on your property for some other reason then a skip is worth considering. Bear in mind though that skip companies normally charge extra for a mattress and some prohibit you from putting them in the skip altogether so its best to double-check with the skip hire company before you use it.
For more general guidance on skips, check out our skip hire guide.
How To Repurpose Your Mattress
Before you buy a new mattress, its possible to think out of the box when it comes to mattress disposal. Converting the job into a DIY project can allow you to get creative and increase mattress life, as well as find useful ways to keep these in your home.
Here are a couple of different ways you can DIY an old mattress:
- The foam and cotton in your mattress can be used as throw pillows, carpet padding, and repurposed further into pet beds. Dogs and cats are especially comforted in beds made out of your old mattress since theyll get a strong trace of your scent as theyre dozing off, so this innovative way of mattress recycling can be particularly effective.
- If the fabric present in your mattress cover is in good shape, it can be used as a rug of your own, and even be used as cleaning sponges or material. Stretched out, they can also be used as a canvas for your next art project.
- Removing the steel from your box spring mattress and selling them to local scrap yards can be a great way to recycle your mattress overall. If you want to be environment-conscious, try to get creative with it: the coils in your mattress can also make some pretty cool-looking planters and wall accessories.
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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.
Can Old Mattresses Be Recycled
Yes, mattresses can be recycled and the practice is fairly common. Through mattress recycling, approximately 80-90% of the mattress can be reused. Thats quite a lot of material that can be reused and turned into new products!
What parts of a mattress can be recycled?
Steel springs, wood frames, stuffing, and fabric are all contained in a mattress and can be recycled and reused in different ways. However, mattresses cant simply be left out for pickup with your regular recycling. Youll often need to find a facility that specializes in mattress recycling, and youll need to transport it there on your own.
Why is recycling a mattress is good for the environment?
When you decide to recycle your old mattress, you help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in your local landfill. Many parts of the mattress need to be recycled, as they take decades to decompose if they end up in a landfill.
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Learn The Best Mattress Disposal Options
Moving into a new place often comes with upgrades: new home, new appliances, new furniture. If your move includes a new mattress, youre faced with a unique challenge: How do you get rid of your old mattress? While you might have seen old mattresses casually tossed in a dumpster or lying on the side of a road, there are better options for disposing mattresses without adding to landfills. Since close to 20 million mattresses end up in landfills each year, and just one mattress can take up to 40 cubic feet in a landfill, its important to find a responsible mattress disposal option.
The first thing to consider when disposing your mattress is its condition. If your mattress is relatively new and still in good shape, you might be able to sell or donate it so that it doesnt go to waste. If youve gotten all the use out of your mattress that it has to offer, youre probably better off recycling it. Up to 90 percent of your mattress can be broken down and recycled, so recycling is definitely a better option for the environment than tossing your mattress in the dumpster.
If you’re looking to buy a new mattress, be sure to read our mattress buyers guide, or explore options from our authorized partners.
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How To Dispose Of A Mattress: Recycling
If your mattress definitely no longer serves its purpose as a place for sleeping, you should still be able to recycle it. This will involve taking the mattress apart and retrieving the separate components such as fabric, foam and metal, so that each part can be reused for other purposes. This could be within pet beds or vehicle seats. Cool, huh?
If you are able to break down the mattress yourself, then it might be easier and cheaper to take each part to a recycling centre. If this is not possible, look online to see if theres a recycling centre near you, and how much it will cost for them to take your mattress and separate it for you. Some companies will also pick up your mattress as part of the disposal process.
Another way to recycle your mattress and recoup some of the costs is to break it down home and sell the parts for scrap. Or, if you are a creative type, repurpose/upcycle the components for use in craft projects and upholstery solutions.
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Mattress Removal And Transportation In The Uk
- Websites such as LoveJunk feature an easy way to get rid of your mattress. Simply create a free listing with a price youre willing to pay for removal, and then you will be presented with a list of local collectors and their costs, which you can ignore, accept or make an offer they cant refuse. Think of it as eBay in reverse.
- Some local councils will pick up your mattress for a fee via their special collection of large waste items service. Put in your postcode at GOV.UK to see what your local council has to offer in England and Wales, or go straight to your council website in Scotland.
- Many online mattress companies will, for a fee, remove your existing mattress when they deliver your new one. Companies which do this include IKEA and Dreams.
Get Together For Some Diy Projects
Get creative and come up with some creative ideas on how you can reuse your old mattress at home. Instead of dumping it in the attic, you could use it in your backyard at the play area for your children. It can be a perfect protective layer or a trampoline for your children. But make sure you get it cleaned professionally before you reuse it. Go green and use the wood frame to create an actual bin and stuffing of your mattress to protect compost and keep the pile warm in your garden. You could also use it for some new art project and enrol for competitions that promote reuse and recycle.
Lets take up responsibility towards environment
Consider an eco-friendly way to dispose of your mattress when you buy a new one. Lets act responsibly towards our environment and ensure that we do not choke it with millions of heavy and large mattresses.
Looking for a new Mattress?
Check our Top Picks!
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Mattress Disposal: 10 Easy Methods
- Mattress Guides
- Mattress Disposal: 10 Easy Methods
We recently conducted a survey in which one of the questions included How would you dispose of an old mattress? Many people were unsure, while other answers were somewhat shocking. So, we thought perhaps its best to offer some advice on the dos and donts on the correct mattress disposal process.
Buying a mattress is the easy part, however, if youre replacing the old one youll almost certainly need to consider some kind of mattress disposal method to make way for your new one. There are plenty of options available, however, depending on where in the world you are some services may not be viable solutions. Please read below for some helpful tips, hopefully, at least one option could be the way forward:
Man & Van Waste Carrier Use A Specialist Waste Collection Company
The fastest, most convenient way of getting rid of your old mattress is to use a private waste removal contractor. You can find a local licensed collector in London through our sister business, the rubbish removal marketplace LoveJunk. Depending on the size of mattress and location, the typical collection price is £25- £35.
AnyJunk charges a little more £42 to remove just a mattress by itself, or £18 extra to remove a mattress as part of a larger clearance. A larger clearance would be ideal if you had other junk to get rid of such as fridges, carpet, sofas and other household bulky items. The team can remove it from inside the property for no extra cost, or you can put it outside so you dont need to be there when they come. More information on our mattress collection service can be found here.
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