When you buy a new mattress, you must dispose of your old one responsibly. If you don't, you could receive a fine and/or face prosecution for fly-tipping.
Ideally, when you get rid of your mattress, you shouldn’t just assign it to a gloomy future as a landfill but, instead, take it to a recycling centre or arrange for the local council or a mattress collection company to come for it. Hopefully, from there, it will go on to serve a more environmentally friendly purpose.
It would be best to replace your mattress every 7 to 10 years, maybe a little earlier, depending on the mattress’s quality. If your mattress is past its best and you need a new one, this guide will help you dispose of your old one, recycle it, and stay within the law while you do it.
Why we should recycle mattresses - Mattress Disposal and Recycling
If possible, we should recycle mattresses for the reasons below:
Mattresses take up a large amount of space.
Mattresses contain both organic and synthetic materials. The organic materials will break down in a few years, whereas the synthetic ones could take several decades.
The chemicals in mattresses, such as bleaches and dyes, cause ground pollution. They’re incredibly poisonous to plants and animals. They pollute and destroy ecosystems.
Recyclable parts of mattresses
Some mattress parts are recyclable. Below are the parts that businesses (or you) can reuse in some way:
Springs: Businesses can melt these down to produce light iron-based items or scrap.
Wadding: Manufacturers can repurpose this filling for cushions. How a business recycles the wadding depends on the material itself.
Foam: It’s possible to use this for alternative carpeting or as refuse fuel once the business has cleaned, processed, and baled the foam.
Mattress covering: Normally, recycling a good quality covering is possible. Although there are different ways to use the cover again, the possibility of contamination makes using it as refuse fuel the most common method.
Here are a few little stats about mattress recycling and disposal - Mattress Disposal and Recycling
At the end of July 2019, the National Bed Federation (NBF), the leading trade association in the bed industry, published a report about End of Life mattresses’ treatment. The report looked at the disposal and recycling of mattresses from 2012 through 2017 and provided some interesting figures. Below are some of the ones they found:
The number of mattress disposals increased from 2016 to 2017
The NBF estimated that people and businesses in the UK disposed of around 7,260,000 mattresses between them and that 91% of the new mattresses people bought replaced old ones. Although this replacement rate was the same in 2016, the nation disposed of fewer mattresses. The NBF estimated we’d thrown out around 6,720,00 mattresses.
The nation is buying more pocket-sprung mattresses
It seems pocket-sprung mattresses are becoming more popular in the UK. Recycling companies are receiving more of these types of mattresses for recycling. Pocket-sprung mattresses accounted for less than 10% of the market 15 years ago, whereas today, it has grown to 40%.
Recycling decreased in all but 4 of the 12 UK regions
In all but four of the 12 central UK regions, local authorities recycled fewer mattresses between 2016 and 2017. Only in the West Midlands, London, and Northern Ireland did the number of mattresses recycled per head not decrease. These figures took into account the growth of the population.
Local authorities have offered several reasons for this. They suspect more people are using household waste disposal centres (HWRCs) to deposit their old mattresses. They also suggest fewer people are using their local authority’s kerbside collection services and, instead, making the most of some retailers’ take-back services.
How to get rid of an old mattress - Mattress Disposal and Recycling
There are different ways to get rid of your old mattress. Some are legal. Others are illegal. Below are the legal ways to do this:
Ask the council to collect your mattress
You can ask your local council to collect the mattress. Many provide a bulky waste collection service, often including beds and mattresses. Be aware, however, that this may be expensive. Your mattress could also end up in a local landfill. Many authorities say they’ll recycle some old waste or as much as possible.
Not all councils will charge you. Some offer a free mattress collection service. These are in the minority, however. Why not ask your local council whether they charge for bulky waste collection?
Often, you’ll have to leave the items in a specific spot outside your house. If you’re doing away with your bed and your mattress, these will count as two items. You’ll pay a charge for each item.
Take your mattress to the local tip.
You can take the mattress to the tip if you have a large vehicle to transport your mattress. However, it may end up as a landfill, so you may prefer to pay and let the council collect the mattress, or you might wish to take it to a recycling centre. If you can’t fit your mattress in your car, try folding it and tying it with a rope.
Take your mattress to a recycling centre.
According to the consumer rights organisation Which?, more and more mattress recycling facilities are emerging in the UK. Recycling a mattress is hard work, but these facilities can decompose it into recyclable components. Different agents can then prepare them for reuse, whether they’re melting the mattresssprings and repurposing the metal or using synthetic layers as carpet underlay or as energy for plants. Check your local council’s website to find the nearest recycling centre to you and see what materials it accepts and doesn’t accept. You always need a vehicle to take items to a recycling centre. Bringing them on foot isn’t allowed.
How To Dispose Of A Mattress
Company collection
Some retailers offer an old mattress collection service and a delivery one. They’ll take the old one away when they bring your new mattress. Note you must be sure of your purchase. Otherwise, you’ll end up with no bed. The retailer may also charge a fee for the service.
You don’t have to use the retailer’s service, however. Some specialist companies pick up your old mattress whenever it suits you. It’s worth ringing around and comparing prices before you hire any mattress collection service. Check whether the company will recycle the mattress or take it to an old mattress recycling centre.
Donate a mattress
Why not donate your mattress? If it’s in good condition, you can give it to someone for free using a site such as Freecycle or donate it to a charity shop. This is an excellent way to ensure the mattress stays out of the landfill and helps out someone a little less fortunate. The mattress should be clean, fit for purpose, and have a fire safety label. Sometimes, the charity will collect the mattress for free.
Sell your mattress
Of course, you might want to sell your mattress during the COVID-19 lockdown and redundancy. Again, it’s better than just seeing the mattress become a landfill, and you should ensure the mattress is clean and in good condition and its fire safety labels and tags are intact. You can sell your mattress on a website such as Gumtree, eBay, or Shpock. If you don’t know what to charge but want to be sure of the sale, ask for 20 or 30% of the original price.
How not to dispose of your mattress - Mattress Disposal and Recycling
As we mentioned, some ways of getting rid of your mattress are illegal. Some are bad for the environment. Some are both. Avoid doing the things below:
Burning your mattress
Some people dismantle the mattress the best they can and burn it and its parts. Once the fire starts, you could find the flames hard to control, making it a natural hazard. Not only that, the fumes could harm you and the environment.
Hiring a skip
If you’re environmentally conscious, you’ll want to avoid this option. By putting your mattress into a skip, you could also be contributing to the landfill problem. Don’t dump your mattress in someone else’s skip without permission. This is an offense.
Leaving your mattress out in the street
Unless you’ve arranged for the local council to collect your old mattress, you shouldn’t leave your mattress out in the street. It isn’t good for the environment. It’s anti-social, too, and above all, illegal. It constitutes fly-tipping and can earn you a (hefty) fine. Speaking of fly-tipping
Fly tipping and illegal recycling - Mattress Disposal and Recycling.
Fly-tipping is a crime that involves depositing waste on land that doesn’t have a license to accept it. This could be an old mattress, bin bags, or electrical items in the street. The tipping may be on a larger scale, consisting of vast amounts of construction or demolition waste, and occur on different land types. Either way, it’s illegal. Below are some shocking statistics on fly-tipping:
Statistics from 2016/17 show that councils in England dealt with more than a million fly-tipping incidents. The cost was staggering. They spent around £58 million clearing up the mess.
Fly-tipping is becoming a problem, and the pandemic has exacerbated it. During the pandemic, some councils have reported an increase in the number of fly-tipping incidents. Coronavirus-related restrictions mean they had to reduce refuse collection services at some points.
Penalties for fly-tipping
Whatever problems the pandemic is causing you, avoid dumping any rubbish illegally. The penalties can range from small fines to jail time. Below are the penalties you may face:
It has a fixed penalty notice of between £150 and £400 for small-scale fly-tipping. This aligns with the Unauthorised Deposit of Waste (Fixed Penalties) Regulations 2016. It’s a criminal offense. Scotland may issue the same penalty for any fly-tipping incident under 33A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In Wales, local authorities can issue fixed penalties for fly-tipping, regarding the offense as a breach of 33 (1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Seizure of property. Authorities in England and Wales can seize vehicles they suspect fly-tippers have used to transport and tip waste illegally.
A fine of up to £50,000 or a prison sentence of 12 months if the conviction occurs in a Magistrate’s court.
An unlimited fine and a prison sentence of up to five months if the conviction occurs in a Crown court.
Payment of compensation and legal costs in addition to any fines received.
Authorities may also confiscate or freeze assets of fly-tipping offenders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Bye-Bye Mattress (USA)
The UK isn’t the only nation that has issues with mattresses. The US also throws out a ton of mattresses each year. The Guardian online reports that America gets rid of 18.2 million mattresses yearly. Changes in consumer behaviour are part of the problem. Consumers have more choices and expect to be able to change their mattresses more frequently now.
The US realises it has issues regarding fly-tipping and mattress recycling. The non-profit organisation Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) develops and implements statewide mattress recycling programs for states that have passed mattress recycling laws.
The organisation operates its Bye Bye Mattress recycling program in California, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Under the program, the organisation collects a recycling fee on every box spring and mattress sold to facilitate recycling. The program stops old waste from being waste and transforms it into recycling, freeing up space in landfills and incinerators.
Are you disposing of your mattress correctly? - Mattress Disposal and Recycling
Always think carefully about how you discard your mattress. How you do it can severely affect the environment and your status as a law-abiding citizen. The best policy is to take your used mattress to a recycling centre or contact the local council or a professional mattress collection company to take it away.
If you’ve arranged for a mattress collection, check that whoever is performing it will transport it somewhere for recycling. Your mattress could be in a landfill if you don’t say they will.
You don’t always have to take your mattress to a recycling centre or ask someone to collect and transport it. You may prefer to sell your mattress or donate it to someone. Whatever you do, please don’t leave it outside your home; dump it in the countryside somewhere or sneak it into someone else’s skip. Otherwise, rather than a company taking the mattress away, the authorities could take you away.
