We currently carried out a survey in which one of the questions is “How would you dispose of an old mattress?” Many of the respondents were unsure, while some answers were shocking. Thus, we have decided to provide some information on how to dispose of an old mattress.
Purchasing a new mattress is a bit easy, but if you are replacing the old one, you will certainly need to consider some methods on how to properly dispose of your mattress to give way for the new one. There are several available ways that you can do this; however, this depends on your location (there are some services that may not be applicable). Please find below some useful tips on how to correctly dispose of a mattress. Any of these could be applicable in your place.
How to Dispose of old Mattress:
1. Contact your retailer
One of the most convenient ways to dispose of an old mattress is to ask your retailer (especially if you have not purchased it yet). The retailer may not possibly collect, recycle, or dispose of old mattresses, but they may have connections with mattress recycling companies in your area. They could probably make some arrangements for a small fee or even for free.
2. Donate it to a charity
Donating the old mattress to a charity is the most environmentally friendly and kindest way that you can do. The majority of charity organizations will collect the mattress in your home without any charge. They will either sell it to raise cash or re-use it in a charitable way. Those things that may be unwanted or old may be useful for others for many years. Salvation Army, GoodWill industries, and Habitat for Humanity are well-known nationwide charities that will pick your mattress up.
Additionally, you can call homeless shelters and churches, near your home to see whether they can accept bed mattress donations or check out the Donation Town to find which charity organizations in your area are looking for mattresses.
3. Sell it
If your old mattress is not actually in pretty bad condition, and you want to recoup some money, you can sell it. You can use craigslist or Facebook groups to find a new home for the mattress.
4. Give away for free
In the same manner as above, if you have difficulties selling it or donating it to a charity for some reason, you may opt to advertise it in a classified ads section and advertise the free-to-collector concept. Junk for a person may be a treasure for some, and if they are willing to pick it up for free, it will save them some cash.
Although you consider your mattress old and unwanted, others may find it still usable and beneficial. Some people may purchase it at a cheap price, pick it up for free, and probably place it in their guest room. Consider listing on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or Gumtree; you will definitely get a response.
5. Recycling centers
Although this is a slightly inconvenient way, this is cost-free. You can roll up your mattress and bring it to a recycling center nearest you. Transporting a mattress is not that easy, but you just have to be determined and ask your family and friends to help you roll and tie the mattress so that it can fit in the trunk for delivery. Upon arriving at the recycling center, there will be assistants who can help you unload it. They will then prepare the mattress to be recycled. Earth 911 offers a national internet search engine that uses your postal code to find recycling centers nearest to your location. If you reside in an urban area, this list of mattress recycling centers in the united states can guide you to locate the best recycling place close to you.
6. Local government
Your local government may offer a service for the removal of bulky or huge items. However, not all cities offer this service; if they do, they usually charge a small fee as they consider this outside the scope of the usual household waste collection. It is best to contact them and inquire about the service as this can be an easy way but would likely cost you some money.
7. Mattress recycling
A convenient and guaranteed way is to make use of a mattress recycling service. The main goal of these companies is to collect and recycle mattresses and other household junk. They will pick up the mattress from your home and they will recycle each material, from springs to the filling materials, and nothing is wasted. However, you need to pay for this; they will also charge a travel fee depending on your location. Usually, you need to shell out between $50 and $100. You can contact 1-800-GOT-JUNK, thumbtack, Junk King, and dolly
8. DIY recycling
Depending upon the type of mattress you have, if you are creative and you feel that you can recycle the mattress on your own, probably you can try this method. Innerspring mattresses are most suitable for DIY recycling. The metal coils can be reused or sold as scrap metal. You can also reuse the fabric in your home or you can donate it. Recycling a memory foam or latex mattress is a bit hard since it can be messy due to its dense materials; however, you can still recycle it. If you opt to use parts of the aged mattress, you can find out how to break down it by watching this video.
In case you are more into homemade projects, you may think about re-using outdated mattresses to make one-of-a-kind artwork. Pinterest presents hundreds of methods to convert the old mattress into artwork for your house.
9. Dispose of waste
Maybe the above options are not appealing to you. So, you can dispose of it together with other waste in your home. You just have to disassemble it into small pieces, store it for some weeks or months, and dispose of it gradually together with the usual household waste. It will take some time for you to get rid of the junk, but eventually, it will be gone without having to pay any charges.
Ways not to get rid of a mattress
1. Do NOT burn it
Based on our survey, 4% of respondents said that burning the mattress was their chosen option. Remember that this is not the correct method of disposing of a mattress. This is not advisable as this is a threat to the safety and is harmful to human health and the environment.
2. Do NOT fly-tip
Fly tipping refers to the illegal disposal of goods in public land areas that have no license to accept waste, with the goal of freeing oneself of the stuff without arranging with or notifying the waste removal services. Fly tipping is a usual scenario all over the world. It is dangerous for the environment, unpleasant to look at, and against the law. Those who are caught with this violation will pay fines.
