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What Happens To Old Mattresses

Retailer Will Your New Mattress Retailer Take It Away

Find Out What Happens When Your Mattress Is Recycled

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:

What Happens To That Mattress When You Return It Or Exchange For A Different One29 Jul 2013 2: 29#1

  • Senior Member
  • Posts: 21
With so many online retailers offering quality return/exchange policies, I wonder what they do with the returned mattress. Do they re-sell it as a used mattress? Are they allowed to recondition it and then sell it again as new? Do they just throw it out?Some retailers offer free shipping, even for returns, which makes me believe they’re either losing a lot of money on those or are somehow able to re-sell the returned mattress.Any info on this?

Please or to join the conversation.

You Are Always Waking Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed

If you are constantly waking up cranky, feeling stressed throughout the day no matter how much sleep you got, or having memory issues, your sleep and mattress might be to blame. When you get good quality sleep with no pain, you are less likely to be stressed out and your memory will improve.

Do you think you need a new mattress? Do you prefer a softer or firmer mattress?

If you found this article informative, please with a friend!

Recommended Reading: How Long Do Box Mattresses Last

What Happens When Its Recycled

Spring, foam and ensemble mattresses can all be recycled effectively. The mattresses are sorted into reusable and recyclable, with the condemned units manually stripped. Components are separated and the timber, foam, wadding, springs and some fabrics and other materials can be recycled.

  • Timber: Recovered timber is processed into woodchips and used in the manufacture of particleboard, as animal bedding and mulch.
  • Springs: Steel springs are sent to scrap metal merchants where they are melted down and used in buildings and infrastructure, vehicles and appliances.
  • Foam: Foam, wadding and latex from inside the mattress is recycled into carpet underlay.

Signs You Need A New Mattress

What happens to your old mattress? What can instead?

After youve had your mattress for about seven years, you should begin inspecting it for wear and tear. If you start to notice any of the below signs, its probably time to get a new mattress.

  • Your mattress has started to sag.
  • Your mattress has rips or worn edges.
  • There are broken coils in your mattress.
  • Your mattress has started to smell.
  • Your mattress squeaks or makes noise.
  • Your mattress feels more like a hammock.
  • You have begun waking up with aches and pains.
  • You have difficulty falling and staying asleep.
  • Youre able to feel your partners movements more than usual.
  • You wake up tired or with allergies.
  • There is no exact time to get rid of your mattress, however, if you start to notice any of the above signs impact your sleep, it may be time for a new one.

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    You Might Have Back Or Neck Pain Daily

    When you have an old mattress, there is a lack of support for your body while you are sleeping. This can stress your spine, which leads to back and neck pain. The mattress will become softer and this will make it more difficult to maintain a proper posture while you sleep. If you notice you are waking up every day with back and/or neck pain, it might be time to get a new mattress.

    Support The Planet And Organise For It To Be Recycled

    We know of two private collection services CollectYourOldBed.com and Wearemattressrecycling.co.uk who guarantee to send your old mattress to a recycling centre operating throughout England and Wales in most postcodes. Charges are dependent on your area and size of product but expect to pay around £40-£50 for a standard-sized double mattress.

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    What Parts Of A Mattress Can Be Recycled

    There are many parts of a mattress that 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 are too big to be left out for pickup with your regular recycling. Youll need to find a facility that specializes in mattress recycling and transport it there on your own.

    If you want to make sure all parts of your old mattress are recycled properly without the need to lift a finger, then our friendly and professional crew at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is the solution for you!

    How Do I Know If My Mattress Is Bad

    POUR BAKING SODA ON YOUR BED & SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR MATTRESS!!! | Andrea Jean

    If your mattress is more than eight years old, its time to do some shopping. However, there are other warning signs that signal that it’s time to upgrade.

    Here are six signs that it is time to look for a new mattress:

  • You have allergies from dust mites.
  • Youre waking up with aches and pains.
  • Your mattress has lumps.
  • Youre not getting enough sleep.
  • Your mattress becomes too hard or too soft.
  • Your mattress creaks and squeaks.
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    The Lifespan Of A Mattress & Effects Of Sleeping On An Old Mattress

    There is no specific lifespan for mattresses. Mattresses can last around a decade with proper care, but most mattress companies recommend getting a new mattress every eight years. If you are in your 40s or older, changing your mattresses every five to seven years is advisable since your body tolerates less pressure during sleep.

    What To Do With Old Mattresses 15 Creative Uses For Your Old Mattress

    If your mattress has reached retirement, you may be about to throw it a party and send it on its way to enjoy its twilight years. But, hold on, you dont need to say a tearful goodbye to your faithful old mattress when you can upcycle it!

    While you can recycle old mattress, you could upcycle the materials and create some funky conceptual art, among other things.

    Donating your mattress to a thrift store or charity could give it a new lease of life

    Also Check: How To Dispose Of Mattress In Philadelphia

    Creative Uses For Old Mattresses

    Have you ever traded in your old mattress for a new one? Many of us are guilty of using our mattresses way beyond their recommended lifespan. But if you consider everything your mattress absorbs over the years, you might be running to the store for a new one. In just 10 years’ time, your mattress could double in weight due to the sweat, skin cells, dust mites and other debris it collects .

    When you do purchase a new mattress, some stores will haul away your old one for free. But in today’s world of green thinking and sustainability, you might wonder what happens to that old mattress once it leaves your home. Unfortunately, it will most likely end up in a landfill along with the other 20 million mattresses that get dumped there each year . So, does this mean you shouldn’t replace your old mattress despite its old age or your related back problems? Not at all. But you should find a more creative way to dispose of your old mattress to keep it out of the landfill. For some inspiration, check out our 10 creative uses for your old mattress.

  • Compost It
  • How Can I Tell If My Mattress Is Bad

    Mattress Recycling

    There are some telltale signs that youve got a bad mattress. Some of them may surprise you. Here are our top five things to look for:

  • It takes you a long time to fall asleep: if youre not comfortable, its more difficult to fall asleep.
  • You wake up tired: your old mattress could be causing things like sleep apnea or other breathing issues that compromise the quality of your sleep.
  • Your sex drive is low: this is surefire sign that youre not getting enough Zzz’s
  • You wake up feeling congested or with a stuffy nose: Unless its allergy season and youve got hay fever, waking up congested or stuffy is a common symptom of a dust mite invasion.
  • Your skin looks lackluster or even starts breaking out: lack of quality sleep increase stress hormones, which result in acne, a loss of skin elasticity, and even wrinkles.
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    Which Parts Of The Mattress Are Recycled

    Depending on the type and quality of the mattress once youre finished with it, you could potentially recycle all of it. The first stage of the recycling process is mattress disassembly. This is where the different component materials are segregated and compacted into large bales for efficient onward transport to the following end recycling destinations.

    We spoke to Richard Allsopp, the director of Circom, who manages the recycling for Dreams mattresses. He told us what happens when you send your old mattress to them.

    Life Expectancy Of A Mattress

    How long you can reasonably expect to keep your bed varies depending on who you ask. Mattress manufacturers will tell you once every eight years, but Consumer Reports says a quality bed should last for ten years. Call it paranoia, but it seems like the manufacturers are trying to steer us into replacing our beds more quickly than needed.

    That being said, there are a lot of factors that can affect the life expectancy of your sleeping surface:

    Type of mattress: Natural latex and high-density memory foam last longer than innerspring and low-density memory foam.

    Quality: Usually, you get what you pay for.

    Your age and weight: Heavier people will naturally make a mattress compress or sag more quickly. And as you age, you become more sensitive to subtle indentations.

    Lifestyle: If you use your bed only for sleeping and take good care of it, itll outlive something that has kids jumping on it or sustains other bouncy extracurricular activities.

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    Can I Recycle An Old Mattress

    Recycling an old mattress is not straightforward. They are made from many different materials including wood, metal or plastic springs, foam, padding, and fabric. Old mattresses are also big and heavy. Currently in the Auckland area there are no official mattress recycling schemes in place. Many of them literally end up in our landfills and will end up being buried.If you can manage to lift and carry your old mattress and you have a trailer or a vehicle big enough to transport it safely, then you have several options.

    Man & Van Waste Carrier Use A Specialist Waste Collection Company

    2012 Wolchek Mattress Investigation

    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.

    Also Check: How Many Inches Is A Deep Mattress

    Get Ready To Get Grossed Out

    The bed. Its where you do your reading, your snuggling, your dewy-eyed thinking about lifes big questions. Turns out, its also the place where you regularly cozy up to gross dust mites and old skin particles.

    Consumer Affairs created an interactive timeline of how your mattress ages over a 14-year time spanand, guys, its really gross. Heres our chronological breakdown of the dirty details.

    1 year: Your mattress has 745,615 dust mites, each of which produces about 2,000 fecal particles.

    3 years: Youve slept in your bed for 7,801 hours on 10 pounds of shed skin cells.

    5 years: Your mattress has more dust mites than the population of Los Angeles.

    8 years: Youd be able to fill more than three kiddie pools with the 210 gallons of accumulated sweat.

    10 years: A two-year-old child weighs less than the 31 pounds of skin flakes in your mattress.

    14 years: Your mattress now has more dust mites than NYCs population, four bathtubs full of sweat and 42 pounds of dead skin .

    The bottom line? After the eight years of recommended usage, its time to say buh-bye. Were guessing 1-800-Mattress is about to see a huge uptick in sales.

    How To Dispose Of A Mattress

    While shopping for a new mattress can be frustrating, every mattress owner inevitably reaches the point where its clear that its time to level up. Some people decide to switch out their mattress because theyre interested in a new model or mattress type, and some people seek out a new mattress because their comfort requirements have changed over time, because of factors like age, losing or gaining weight, and/or injuries. However, even someone who isnt particularly interested in other mattresses will need to replace their mattress eventually.

    There are a number of different ways to get rid of a used mattress, from recycling to donation to throwing it away. The method thats right for you depends on a number of different factors, especially the state of the mattress, where you are located, and which facilities are close by offering which types of disposal and donation services.

    Well break down the different methods of mattress disposal, how to choose the right one for you, and how to go about getting the disposal job done.

    Read Also: Do Adjustable Beds Need A Special Mattress

    Sending Mattress To Landfills Is Costly

    In addition to the environmental costs of choosing not to recycle mattresses, there is a financial cost. Here’s why…

    Throwing away mattresses is more expensive than throwing away other garbage because they’re more work.The things that make mattresses bad for landfills are the same things that make them more expensive to throw away. They’re big, bulky and clog things up. They don’t compress well, and if the mattresses have springs, they can actually damage the equipment at landfills. For those reasons, most landfill managers don’t like dealing with mattresses and charge more to do so.

    Of course, the local government pays the added charge, but ultimately they’re reimbursed with tax dollars your tax dollars.

    As long as the government is paying extra money to dispose of mattresses, you’ll be reaping the financial repercussions of throwing them away. But when consumers start recycling their mattresses, they’ll start seeing the financial benefits in addition to the environmental ones.

    Ask The Council To Collect Your Mattress

    What Really Happens to My Old Mattress?

    You can ask your local council to collect the mattress. Many provide a bulky waste collection service. Often this includes beds and mattresses. Be aware, however, that this may be expensive. Not only that, your mattress could end up in a local landfill. Many authorities say theyll recycle some of the old waste or as much of it as they can.

    Not all councils will charge you. Some offer a free mattress collection service. These are in the minority, however. Why not contact your local council and ask them whether they charge for bulky waste collection?

    Often youll have to leave the items in a specific spot outside your house. If youre doing away with your bed and your mattress, these will count as two items. Youll pay a charge for each item.

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    What Else Can I Do This Recycling Day

    If youre conscious about the impact your bed-buying habits are having on the environment, look for organisations who boast about their recycling practices.

    At Ely Mattresses, well take away your old mattress for recycling, and were very proud to declare that our mattresses are made from recyclable materials. We take our impact on the environment extremely seriously and love to declare it.

    How Old Mattresses Can Be Recycled

    What to do if your mattress company does not take your old mattress with them when you buy a new one

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    Dear EarthTalk: How can I recycle my old mattress if the place I buy a new one from doesnt take it? What do mattress companies do with old mattresses when they do take them? Do they recycle any of the material?— J. Belli, Bridgeport, CT

    A typical mattress is a 23 cubic foot assembly of steel, wood, cotton and polyurethane foam. Given this wide range of materials, mattresses have typically been difficult to recycleand still most municipal recycling facilities wont offer to do it for you. But along with increasing public concerns about the environmentand a greater desire to recycle everything we canhas come a handful of private companies and nonprofit groups that want to make sure your old bed doesnt end up in a landfill.

    The Lane County, Oregon chapter of the charity St. Vincent de Paul Society, for example, has spearheaded one of the nations most successful mattress recycling initiatives via its DR3 program. Keeping out of landfills is a matter of efficiently recycling them so their core materials can be reincarnated into any number of new products, reports the group, which opened a large mattress recycling center in Oakland, California in 2001. The facility has been processing upwards of 300 mattresses and box springs per week ever since.

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