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.
Can I Take My Mattress To The Tip
If all else fails, you can take your old mattress to the skip to dispose of it personally. However, we don’t recommend this course of action. As we mentioned earlier, mattresses are recyclable but, unless you find a good recycling plant, disposing of your mattress at the tip means that it will likely end up in landfill.
On top of that, simply dumping it might land you with a fee, so its worth reading on as we explore other, more environmentally-responsible ways to dispose of your mattress.
Recycling Decreased In All But 4 Of The 12 Uk Regions
In all but four of the 12 main UK regions, local authorities recycled fewer mattresses between 2016 and 2017. Only in the West Midlands, London, and Northern Ireland had the number of mattresses recycled per head not decreased. These figures took into account the growth of the population.
Local authorities have offered several reasons for this. They suspect more people are using household waste disposal centres as a place to deposit their old mattresses. They also suggest fewer people are using their local authoritys kerbside collection services and, instead, making the most of some retailers take-back services.
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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
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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Donate Your Used Mattress To Charity
Check with your local non-profits to see if any will be able to put the mattress to use. Depending on health department regulations in your area, organizations like The Salvation Army and Goodwill might be able to take a used mattress off your hands. Habitat for Humanity, churches, and homeless shelters can also be good places to check. Once youve secured a place that will take your old mattress, book a Dolly to bring your mattress to its new home.
Are There Any Fees For Disposing Of A Mattress In A Dumpster
In some areas, there are fees associated with getting rid of a mattress. Mattress disposal charges apply when the local landfill or transfer station must break down or recycle the mattress. These charges come directly from the local facility and will apply whether youâre using a dumpster rental, curbside pickup or landfill drop-off.
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Option : Recycle Your Mattress
Did you know that there is a large household object that can be recycled, but rarely is? Your mattress! Thats right, not only are they difficult to handle and dispose of but when you think about it almost every person goes through a few mattresses in their lifetime. Because more than 20 million are thrown away each year, that means we are talking about billions of mattresses choking our landfills. To make matters worse, even once compacted, each mattress takes up an average of 23 cubic feet of landfill space.
As mattresses begin to pile up, the springs inside start to break free and can clog the equipment used to compact the landfills waste. Then you have to deal with the fact that mattresses are filled with nasty chemicals that not only contaminate landfills but also can run off into local water supplies. This could hurt an entire citys eco-system if their water becomes spoiled.
This run-off not only damages our planet but also creates unsafe working conditions and pollution for workers. Not good!
Want to help create a safer earth in a simple way by recycling your mattress? Do your part to safely recycle your old, used and unwanted mattress. Then pat yourself on the back!
Assess The Quality Of Your Mattress
Your mattress may be relatively new, but it may not properly accommodate your sleeping style.
If your mattress is not necessarily out of life, it just is not the right one for you, it may be worth donating to someone else for whom it will be right.
Organizations like Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity will sometimes accept mattress donations if it is in relatively good quality, but be honest about the state of your mattress.
While it might sound easy to just drop off your old mattress, do not saddle a non-profit with your mattress if it will not serve someone in need, but also do not assume that just because the mattress is not working for you it can’t provide someone else with a good night’s sleep.
This is a great way to help reduce waste but more often than not, if a mattress is giving you persistent issues , the quality has probably degraded to a point where it is not salvageable.
Nothing lasts forever, think about how long you have had your mattress. Even a high end one may not last more than around 7 years. If it has been in the neighborhood of this long since you replaced your mattress, it has likely run its course. According to Mattress Insider Company founder Jonathan Prichard, keeping an old mattress around for too long can lead to a number of risks to hygiene and health.
If you’ve decided you need a new mattress, you’ll need to discover the best, most-economical way of disposing your old mattress.
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The Complete Mattress Disposal Guide
Wondering how to get rid of that old mattress? Despite being bulky and heavy, there are several convenient ways to dispose of mattresses, including renting a dumpster, donating and recycling it.
A gently-used mattress can be donated, but if yours is old and worn out, youâll need to throw it away. Weâve compiled the best mattress and box spring disposal options so you can find the most efficient method for your needs.
Throw Your Old Mattress Away
If youre not able to get your mattress back to its producer, the most obvious solution is probably to just throw the mattress away the same as youd throw away anything else.
You might be able to simply leave it on the curb, or you might have to take it down to your local landfill.
Either way, this is almost certainly the first fix thatll come to your mind when you start thinking about getting rid of your old mattress.
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Break The Mattress Down Yourself
If you have the time, space, and tools, you can easily break a mattress down yourself. Simply cut around the perimeter of the fabric covering and peel the cloth and foam away from the box springs and wooden frame. You can roll these materials into a compact bundle and put them in your regular trash can. Next, take a saw and cut up the framewhich you can then burn or turn into wood chips. Take the box springs to a recycling center or sell them for scrap.
Given that mattresses can be so difficult to dispose of effectively, you may want to factor durability into your purchasing decisions. Some mattresses come with warranties that range up to 20 years. With proper maintenance, its not impossible for mattresses to last for decades, which can go a long way toward reducing your households overall waste footprint.
Option : Break It Down And Reuse It
Did you know that 90% of traditional innerspring mattresses can be reused? Mattresses that are disassembled and broken down provide parts that can be recycled, sold for scrap, or used around your home for handyman projects.
Just some of the parts of an innerspring mattress that can be reused include:
Steel springs can be bundled and sold as scrap to be reincarnated as new steel components, such as wind turbines.
Foam material can be reused as carpet padding or moving blankets, and when recycled, it can be used as a biomass fuel source.
Wood parts can be broken down and reused as landscaping mulch, stuffing for pet beds, or scrap material for a variety of projects in both the house and the garage.
If you decide to repurpose some of the parts of your old mattress, you can learn how to disassemble it step-by-step by watching this how-to video on breaking down a mattress for parts.
Note: Disassembled innerspring mattresses contain sharp components. Be sure to use caution!
Have a memory foam mattress? They can be shredded and reused in couch cushions, carpet padding, or even building insulation. And you can even make a little extra cash by selling that shredded foam!
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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.
How To Donate A Mattress
Only consider donating your mattress if it is in decent shape. If its in really rough shape , then all youll do when you donate your mattress is create more work for the charity or organization you donate it to, who will have to figure out how to dispose of it soon after you leave it with them.
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How To Get Rid Of Your Old Mattress
If youve made the decision to invest in a new mattress or are simply turning your guest room into an office, when you have an old mattress to dispose of, you have several good options:
- Buy a new mattress from a manufacturer or retailer that will manage disposal of the old one.
- Donate your old mattress to an organization that accepts them.
- Take it to a mattress recycling organization.
- Find a new home and new owners for it.
- Hire someone to pick up your old mattress.
- Reuse and repurpose it.
We’ll Handle It From Here
Republic Services, Inc. is an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste disposal.
Through our collection companies, transfer stations, recycling centers and landfills, we focus on providing effective and reliable environmental services and solutions to make proper recycling and waste disposal effortless for our 14 million customers.
We are committed to the preservation of a Blue Planet®… a cleaner, safer and healthier world where people thrive not just for today, but for generations to come. Republic Services is experienced in meeting sustainability requirements and committed to providing environmentally responsible solutions to meet current and future market recycling and solid waste needs.
Our website access is limited to locations within the United States. Below you will find links to websites accessible to locations outside of the United States.
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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.
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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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 Often Should You Change Your Mattress
If you cant remember how many years youve had your mattress, the chances are its time for a new one. Its all too easy to lose track of how long youve been sleeping on it and, even if it still feels comfortable, its likely to be less supportive and less hygienic than when it was new.
The Sleep Council recommends replacing your mattress as often as every seven years, because after that time it will have been subjected to more than 20,000 hours of use. Thats the equivalent of 2,555 nights – which is a lot when you consider that adults lose an average of half a pint of fluid each night, and shed a pound of dead skin cells each year.
But our own durability tests reveal that the best mattresses can last up to a decade without softening, sagging or becoming less supportive. So, as long as you buy a good mattress and clean it regularly, you might only have to change it every 10 years.
Find out how long different types of mattress should last below, or go to our guide on how to clean a mattress.
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Will Ikea Pick Up Old Furniture
When purchasing or removing old furniture, IKEA will assist you.
IKEA has been known to remove furniture during a swap, or when you have purchased something new and need the old one removed. They also offer services to come and remove old furniture without buying something new.
However, for those services, you will usually pay a fee of roughly $30 USD or 25.
IKEA takes sustainability and recycling very seriously, and are more than willing to work with you on your old products!
