How do you Dispose of Mattresses?

Do you have an old mattress sitting around that you want to get rid of? Maybe you are planning to get a new mattress, but you aren’t sure what you should do with the mattress that you already have. Many people will just toss their mattress in a landfill. This is not the right way to dispose of a mattress. When mattresses are put in landfills, they take up a lot of space, can cost you a lot of money, and can cause toxic air pockets to form in the landfill. If you want to get rid of your old mattress, keep reading here for the best eco-friendly options.

Giving Your Mattress Back to the Manufacturer

If you are planning to get a new mattress, one option might be to give the old mattress to the manufacturer. You can talk to the mattress retailer to see if they would be willing to take the mattress you already have. There are approximately 50,000 mattresses being disposed of daily throughout the US. Since so many are tossed in landfills, more retailers are offering to take the mattresses, so they can be disposed of properly. Not all mattress retailers are doing this. However, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Giving Away or Selling Your Mattress

If you have a mattress that you don’t want anymore, you could give it to or sell it to someone that needs it. There are so many people who can’t afford a new mattress or who don’t want to spend that much on a mattress. These are the people who may want to buy or get your mattress from you. If you don’t really need the money, giving your mattress away would be a nice deed to do for someone else. If your mattress had bed bugs or other major issues, giving it away or selling it wouldn’t be the best idea. However, as long as it is in decent condition, this may be the right option for you.

Donating Your Mattress to a Charity

Did you know that some non-profits will accept mattress donations for charity? You may need to check into the regulations of your local health department. If they allow mattresses to be donated to a local non-profit, such as Goodwill or Salvation Army, this may be the route that you want to take. There are many other non-profits that may be willing to take your old mattress, as well. You can check into local churches, homeless shelters, and Habitat for Humanity, as well. Once you have found a place, you can ask them whether you have to drop off the mattress. Some local non-profits will have someone come to pick up the mattress.

Recycling Your Old Mattress

Another great option for getting rid of an old mattress is to recycle it. There are many great places that will recycle old mattresses. Many people will choose this route when they can’t sell or get rid of their mattress via other routes. Even if you can get rid of your mattress, you may still want to choose this eco-friendly option. Companies, such as The Mattress Guy, have mattress recycling programs. With The Mattress Guy, you can schedule someone to pick up your old mattress or you can drop it off to them. The purpose of these programs is to prevent improper disposal of mattresses. As mentioned above, leaving mattresses in landfills is very bad for the environment. By allowing The Mattress Guy, or another mattress recycling company, to take your mattress, you will be assured that it will be handled and disposed of properly.

Breaking Your Mattress Down by Yourself

If you have some space and time available, along with the appropriate tools, you may choose to break down your mattress by yourself. There are many ways that you can do this. The best way is to start by cutting around the outside of the mattress fabric. Then you will pull the cloth and foam off from the box spring and frame. Then, you will roll up the materials and place them in your trash. From there, you can cut the frame and burn it. Your box spring can be turned into a recycling center. Another option would be to sell the box spring at a scrapyard.

Professional Cleaning of Your Mattress

Some people are quick to get rid of an old mattress because it is difficult to clean. However, since it can sometimes be difficult to get rid of an old mattress, you may want to consider having it professionally cleaned. If the only reason you are getting rid of the mattress is because it is tough to clean, you can hire someone to come to your home to clean it for you. They can give the mattress a deep clean and it might look new again. The more you keep up on cleaning your mattress, the longer it can last. Some mattresses, when well taken care of, can last 20 or more years.

Conclusion

Do you have an old mattress that you want to dispose of? If so, it is very important that you dispose of it properly. There are far too many mattresses that are tossed into landfills every year. These can be very toxic for the environment. Instead of taking your old mattress to a landfill, you can choose any one of these eco-friendly options. Whether you give your mattress to the manufacturer, give it away or sell it to someone, donate it to charity, recycle it, break it down yourself, or have it professionally cleaned, you will be disposing of the mattress properly.

If you have more questions about how companies properly recycle old mattresses, you can reach out to The Mattress Guy today!