A great mattress will serve you well for several years on end, but inevitably will need to be disposed at some point due to the wear and tear endured during its service life.
Unlike buying a new mattress, trying to dispose of mattress is easier said than done owing to myriad reasons, most notably the fact that they are bulky, and landfills in the USA receive millions of mattresses each year. If you’re looking for ways on how to dispose of mattress, without breaking the bank to pay landfill charges, breaking and laws and hurting the environment, here are 5 great options to consider!
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Solution 1 – Sell your Mattress
If your mattress is in useable condition, you may be able to get it professionally cleaned, and sell it online at websites such as Gumtree or EBay. Take note that you will not make a fortune selling your mattress on these auction or small ad style websites, but on a brighter note you will probably be able to get rid of it at a low cost or even free. It is highly important that you clean the mattress thoroughly, and add a clear photograph and a detailed description of the mattress to the auction listing in order to receive any worthwhile bids.
To get the maximum value of your used mattress read 5 Proven Tips To Sell Used Mattress
Solution 2 – Donate your Mattress
There are many instances when something may not seem good for us, but could be gold for others. This is especially true if you are getting a new mattress even though your old one isn’t completely worn out meaning less than 5-7 years old, so it very well could be useful to someone else. Donating is a great way to not only dispose of mattress, but also help someone who may not have the pleasure of owning one to begin with.
However, before donating your mattress, it is a good idea to check with friends and relatives who may be looking for an extra mattress or to replace their current one. Donating mattress to charity may be a tricky affair given that mattresses tend to accumulate dead skin cells, dust mites, and bacteria over a period of use, hence government regulations in certain states may not permit charitable organizations such as the Goodwill to accept used or worn out mattresses.
Local churches and homeless shelters are great places to check if they accept used mattresses, and a tip, the cleaner your mattress looks, the higher chances of them accepting the donation. Some groups that usually accept used mattresses include the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul and the Furniture Bank Association of America locations, so get in touch with your local branch to dispose your mattress.
You may also read Where to Donate a Mattress?
Solution 3– Recycle your Mattress
Recycling your mattress is another free way of disposing your mattress. However, locating a mattress recycling center, and then transporting your mattress over there may be slightly inconvenient. To make the transporting task easier, it is recommended that you roll tie it tight and set in the trunk of your vehicle.
There are several states that operate mattress recycling programs such as the Mattress Recycling Council in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island, so check with your local City Council to see if this option is available to you. Some cities may even be kind enough to pick up your old mattress curbside, and dispose of it appropriately.
To locate a mattress recycling center in your area, you can start by using any major search engine to search for the phrase “mattress recycling my area” replacing my area the one where you live. If you live in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island, simply head to the ByeBye Mattress website, select your state from the dropdown menu, and check out the mattress recycling locations in your area and collector’s fee if applicable.
Solution 4 – Selling the Parts of your Mattress
Mattresses contain some amount of steel, most of which is found in the form of springs. If you have time and expertise, you could easily take apart the mattress yourself, remove all the springs and other steel components, and then bundle them together and sell them for scrap to metal recyclers and scrap yards in your area. Rates for scrapped steel vary by location, but expected to receive roughly $10 for 100 pounds of scrap metal.
Apart from the steel components, other parts of a mattresses can be removed and out to good use. Most mattresses are infused with a mix of natural fibers such as cotton, wool and silk, and non-natural fibers like polyester and rayon. Good news is that most of these materials can be recycled such as the padding can be reused to make insulation or padding.
The wooden parts of a mattress can be easily shredded and used as lawn or gardening mulch or used as firewood on chilly nights. Other parts of a mattress that may come hand are the nails, screws and other metal objects for various household projects and decorative elements such as buttons and braiding for DIY sewing projects and other household designs.
Solution 5 – Throwing away your Mattress
If any of the aforementioned solutions don’t work for you, the last resort is to throw out your mattress. But this task is not as easy as dropping your mattress off at the curb, because most municipal trash collection services won’t accept them mostly because they are heavy and bulky. You can however check with your local sanitation department if they accept used mattresses placed at the curb. If you’re getting rid of your mattress along with several other items as part of a mass cleanout, renting a dumpster may be a cost efficient option to dispose your mattress and all the other junk.
Conclusion:
When looking for an answer to how to dispose of mattress, you will find several solutions, some that may work better for you than others. What’s important is that you dispose the mattress without burning a hole in your pocket and hurting the environment.
