How To Dispose Of An Old Mattress In Scotland?

Your mattress should be replaced every eight years or so, according to many bed and mattress retailers. Here is our quick guide on how to dispose of your old mattress when it’s time to say goodbye.

#1. Recycle: Is it possible to sell or give an old mattress?

Always consider whether your mattress could be used again before tossing it out.

A.) Donate – where can I donate my Mattress?

If your mattress is still in pretty good shape, charities, shelters, and churches might accept it off your hands. If you really want your mattress to find a new home, you can even hire a professional to wash it. The British Heart Foundation, Emmaus, Furniture Donation Network, British Red Cross, Stella’s Voice UK, and the Furniture Reuse network are just a few major charities that accept mattresses. Women’s shelters and homeless shelters in your community might also be interested.

When you donate or sell your mattress, you must keep in mind that the fire safety sticker is still on. It won’t be accepted without it.

B.) Sell – If so, where or how much will my mattress sell for?

On platforms like Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace, you can sell your mattress. Mattress prices can vary depending on size, age, and condition, but the majority are between £15 and £50. In reality, no one wants a soiled or damaged mattress, so only take this choice into consideration if your mattress is in excellent shape. Additionally, no one else will purchase it if yours has reached the end of its useful life and has uncomfortable springs that emerge from awkward areas or sagging in random places.

#2. Dump it – Throw it into the local landfill

If you’re a homeowner with a car, taking your old mattress to the local dump or local recycling centre is frequently the absolute cheapest alternative because tips typically don’t charge anything. The only disadvantage is that it could not be particularly close to where you live, making the entire process time-consuming.

Remember that while memory foam mattresses may be rolled up to save space, a typical pocket-sprung mattress cannot be done so. Therefore, you may not always be able to squeeze the mattress in your car depending on the size of your vehicle and the kind of mattress you have.

Last but not least, unlike homeowners, businesses are either required to pay to use the local landfill or are forbidden from doing so. In order to avoid having to find a different solution, always call the municipality in advance to confirm that you are allowed to do so if you are a company (such as a hotel) with an old mattress to dispose of.

#3. Council collections – contact your local council to remove any bulky items

If you’re a homeowner, you can book a local bulky garbage collection from your residence as an alternative to driving your mattress to the landfill. All municipalities offer this service to their citizens, however, the costs and quality of the service vary greatly. For instance, Greenwich Council charges £10.30 for any size, while Southampton Council costs £10 for a single mattress, £20 for a double, and £30 for anything larger. Although this service is usually free, it is usually less expensive than a private rubbish collection service because it is subsidised. A private provider can typically pick up your mattress faster than a local council and can also accept a larger variety of garbage types at the same time.

#4. Man & Van waste carrier – choose a professional rubbish collection service

Using a professional rubbish removal company is the easiest and fastest way to get rid of your old mattress.

Jettison Express charges £60 to remove a mattress by itself. If you had more trash to dispose of, such as refrigerators, carpets, sofas, and other major household objects, a larger clearance would be ideal. If you want to avoid having to be present when they arrive, you can either take it outdoors or have the service remove it from inside the building for no additional charge. For more details, kindly refer our Price List.

 #5. Put it in a skip – Are mattresses accepted in skips?

This choice is not advantageous if all you need to get rid of is a mattress. However, a skip is something to think about if you or a kind neighbour already have one on your premises for another reason like building work. However, keep in mind that most skip companies charge an additional fee (between £10 and £25) for mattresses, and some even forbid you from placing them in the skip at all, so it’s advisable to double-check with the skip hire business before you use it.

#6. When mattresses are disposed of at a landfill, What happens to them?

Unfortunately, only 16% of mattresses are recycled in the UK; the rest are burned for waste-to-energy or shredded and dumped. Mattresses have been shown to be 85% to 95% recyclable. Recycling facilities dismantle the mattress and reuse its many parts, including foam padding, metal springs, and coconut fibres. For example, metal springs can be melted down and reused for a new product, and foam cushioning can be recycled to manufacture carpet beneath.

Mattresses shouldn’t be disposed of in landfills since they take up a lot of room, take more than 10 years to decompose, and end up contaminating the soil and groundwater because of their non-biodegradable components. The problem is that recycling them is less economical than dumping them in a landfill since it costs so much time and money to break them down into their component parts.

A recycling company called TerraCycle develops programmes for garbage that is difficult to recycle, such as crisp packets. The reason mattresses are challenging to recycle was given. Mattresses are considered difficult-to-recycle garbage because of their size and multi-material construction. A mattress often consists of a variety of materials, including foam, textiles, and springs and coils. In fact, recycling a mattress calls for dismantling the actual mattress in order to save materials such the springs/coils, foam, and fabrics that can be used as insulation or to build new products. Due to all of these factors, the majority of councils in the UK send this kind of a waste to landfills or for incineration.

#7. Put It In A Storage Unit

Storing your mattress in a storage unit is a great method to save time, money, and stress while moving and downsizing or when you’re between houses. If the mattress is of excellent quality, it might be useful in the future.

You can pick up your mattress whenever you’d like if you change your mind thanks to the storage unit’s flexibility and convenience, which includes short- and long-term options. Prices for storage are affordable, and you only need 25 square feet of space for a single mattress and 50 square feet for a queen-size bed and mattress.