Did you know that about 50,000 mattresses end up in a landfill every single day? Mattresses in our landfills is a larger problem than the general public realizes. Because typically once the mattresses are piled up in the landfill, loose springs poke through and can tamper with the landfill compactor.
What’s worse, is sadly most mattresses are filled with chemicals, and in the landfill those chemicals will leach into the pile. Those chemicals can even trickle into runoff, ending up in your local water supply. The chemical leaching can create unsafe environments for the landfill workers, and is extremely damaging to the environment.
If you’re trying to keep your mattress out of the landfill, great! You’re halfway there. Many people don’t realize, but there are several options for your mattress besides the landfill. We’ve rounded them all up so that you can choose one that works best for you.
Ask your mattress company
When you purchase a new mattress, inquire with the company or store directly to see if they will remove it for you at the end of its lifetime. Some companies and retail stores will remove it free of charge, whereas others charge a small fee. It’s worth it to inquire about your options.
How to donate your own mattress
The most important step in donating your mattress is assessing it’s condition. Any obvious stains, broken springs, and other quality issues might indicate that your mattress should be recycled, not donated. Charities and thrift stores are often picky about accepting mattresses of only high quality.
In order to preserve the dignity of second-hand consumers, and stop the spread of any mold, bacteria, and hazards that old mattresses can house, conduct a proper assessment. Consider your mattress’ age, wear & tear, presence of mold and bacteria, bed bugs, and the quality of sleep it gives you. If you donate an unusable mattress, chances are the charity or thrift store will just throw it out anyways, which defeats the purpose of recycling it!
Here's a look at some charities that accept mattress donations
Salvation Army: Some Salvation Army’s will accept mattress donations. It is best to contact yours to see if they will accept your mattress, and any pick-up options available.
Goodwill: Some Goodwill organization’s may accept your mattress. Contact your local Goodwill to find out if they are taking mattress donations.
Habitat for Humanity: Habitat for Humanity will accept mattress donations of excellent quality, and offer pick-up services for furniture.
Furniture Bank Association: The Furniture Bank Association is a North American organization that accepts furniture, including mattress. Here’s a link to help find one near you.
Shelters and Churches: Ask your local shelter or houses of worship if they partner with any charities that may accept mattress donations. They may have some great people to put you in direct contact with, simplifying the search the process.
Animal Shelters: If your mattress is not in mint condition to donate, you may be able to salvage some fabric or foam to donate to a shelter. Some shelters may be able to find use of the whole mattress or mattress components. Call your local shelter to find out.
Still can’t find a charity to take your mattress? Donation Town could be a great resource! They have a wide database of charities that will pick up your mattress for free. If you are stumped or at a roadblock for where to donate, check out Donation Town.
Sell it
If your mattress is in great condition, you can opt to re-sell it. Online sites are great ways to reach many who may be interested in purchasing your mattress. A word to the wise, some states require you to clean a mattress in a specific manner in order to re-sell it.
Facebook Marketplace: If you haven’t joined your local facebook marketplace yet, then you’re in for a treat! You can see what your neighbors, and neighboring towns may be selling or searching for in a user friendly manner. Get Started Here
Craigslist: If you don’t have Facebook, or prefer a more anonymous approach, then Craigslist is a great place to post your mattress.
A fun tip, both of these online sites have options for you to list your mattress as free. If you’re in a pinch to get rid of it, listing the mattress as free to be picked up is a sure found way to rid of it quickly.
Recycle it
With 20 million mattresses ending up in the landfill every year, you should opt to recycle your mattress before sending it away with the rest of your trash.This cool video by the Boston Globe showcases the mattress recycling process.
If you live in California, Connecticut, or Rhode Island, you are required by law to recycle it. For the remaining states, there are still plenty of other programs that you can opt into. Most major cities in North America have recycling programs or centres, so call yours to see if they offer pick-up services.
- If you live near a University, they may be a great resource to reach out to. They often partner with many different organizations that aid in furniture removal.
- Bye Bye Mattress has a super helpful facility locator, that lets you type in your zip code and will pull up all nearby mattress recycling facilities.
- Earth 911 also has an extensive database of recycling centers, and will sort through them to see if they accept mattresses or not.
When you go to recycle your mattress, note that some mattress items are not deemed recyclable:
- Wet or heavily soiled items
- Bed Bug infested items
- Water beds
- Air mattresses
- Camping/Motor Vehicle Beds
- Used mattress toppers or mattress pads
- Sleeping bags and pillows
- Collapsible beds
Or, if you’re feeling resourceful, take apart your mattress to reveal components that you can salvage for projects, or resell for a profit. Here’s a video to show you how to take the mattress apart without damaging the materials.
Hire a pro
There are so many companies out there that you can hire to haul away your mattress for recycling. Again, ask your mattress company or retailer if they offer any services to remove the mattress from your home.
Companies like LoadUp Junk Removal and 1-800-GOT-JUNK allow you to book your mattress removal online, or by calling. They might be able to even take away some other unwanted items in your home to be recycled while you’re at it!
Reuse your old mattress
How can you reuse your old mattress? It’s time to get creative with space! Maybe, you have a spare room that could be converted into a guest room. Or perhaps your neighbor has a teen that just outgrew their now too-small twin bed.
Finding a new room for the mattress to go in, saving it for future moves and life changes, or turning it into a daybed are all ways to reuse your mattress.
Repurpose
Did you know that 80% of a mattress is recyclable? There are so many ways you can get creative with all of the components. You can recycle and repurpose the thread for sewing, pull out the foam for pet beds, take the wooden frames for furniture and garden beds, ore use the springs for rustic art & decor.
Need some more inspiration? Let us show you some cool ideas!
If you order a new mattress from us and wish for your old one to be removed, we will orchestrate the removal at no hassle to you. If you qualify as a local delivery, our delivery team will do this free of charge. Otherwise, for a small fee of $125, we will work with a removal company local to you to make sure that the mattress removal falls on the same day your new mattress is scheduled to arrive. So if you’re part of the small 5% who don’t love your mattress, don’t feel guilty that it will go to waste. We will gladly place it in a new home.
At Natural Form, we breakdown the mattresses returned to our factory and recycle them. As part of our lean manufacturing commitment, we will take the mattress components and combine it with scraps made during our manufacturing process to send back to our suppliers.The supplier will recycle the material into new material, streamlining the waste stream. We are also working on establishing partnerships with local organizations to donate some of these return mattresses.
Out with the old, and in with the new! Because mattress removal is something that nobody should be losing sleep over.
