How Can I Get Rid of an Old Mattress?

A recycling company typically picks your mattress up and then breaks it down to its components. Some components can be reused or repurposed: for example, foam and latex layers become a carpet underline. Other materials — such as metal coils or wood from box springs — can be recycled. Coils are recycled as scrap metal, and wood is turned to wood chips for particleboard.

You can find some international and Australia-wide recycling enterprises, such as Soft Landing, Recycling Near You, or Got Junk? They typically have councils in all large metro cities, such as Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth.

All you need to do it to book a pick-up on a certain day and pay a small fee (usually between $25 and 50, depending on the state and company).

Or, if you don’t want to pay a fee, you can bring your the mattress by yourself, if your enterprise of choice has drop-off points, and just leave in there.

For example, Soft Landing offers free mattress recycling in Sydney and Melbourne, and Recycling Near You has councils Australia-wide.

Also, large cities have local recycling services that you can call:

• Perth: Recycling Centre Balcatta;
• Adelaide: Adelaide Waste and Recycling Centre;
• Sydney: Mattress Recycle Australia;
• Melbourne: BedCollect, 1300Rubbish;
• Brisbane: MattressRecyclers.

Note that these services may also have a recycling fee.

Finally, you can break your old mattress down and repurpose the elements. For example, coils can make a great art installation or wine rack, foam can be used as a pad for your bed or as a protective barrier for fragile items, etc.

Also read: How Long Does a Mattress Last?

#2: Mattress Donation

Another option that will help you discard your old mattress without bringing it on a landfill is a donation to a charity.

However, this option also requires a bit more effort because not all mattresses can qualify for a donation.

So, before donating a mattress to a charity, you should inspect your mattress for ‘red flags’, such as:

• Stains. Any stain will void your warranty but the liquid that got into deep layers of the mattress can also cause problems, such as foul odour and mould. So if your mattress has got stains on the surface, it’s better to recycle it instead of donating.
• Sagging and uneven surface. Major structural problems, such as bent or broken coils, torn foam or large holes in the cover fabric make the mattress unsuitable for donation.
• Infestations. This is an obvious no. If your mattress has clear signs of bug or mould infestation, it should be hauled away without hesitation. Even if you dealt with these issues, keep in mind that a thorough cleaning doesn’t get rid of bugs or mould all the way through and they can still hide in the deeper layers of the mattress, so there’s still a chance for re-infestation.

Note that different charities may have different donation policies, so it’s best to get in touch with your local organization.

Note that some mattress recycling enterprises can donate the mattress for you as they review its condition. For example, the aforementioned Recycling Near You cleans the mattresses in a decent condition and then donates them to charities and homeless shelters. BedCollect also makes donations of slightly used mattresses to people in need.

Also read: How to Remove Stains from the Mattress?

#3: Re-Selling or Giving Away

One more way of old mattress disposal is re-selling it or giving it away to a certain person (instead of a charity).

Note that this applies mostly to slightly used mattresses. For example, if your trial period has ended and you found out that the mattress isn’t quite right for you, you definitely can re-sell it. Don’t re-sell mattresses with the pronounced signs of wear and tear.

So, you can post an ad on the sites like Gumtree or Craigslist, or use Facebook ads or other social media.

Also, you can give a mattress away to your friend or relative.

Also read: Best Mattresses For Hot Sleepers in Australia