How To Get Rid Of Old Mattress?

It’s heavy and bulky. You can’t just throw away a mattress. You need to plan. Hire a pickup truck, drop it at a nearby waste collection centre or wait for the city council to organize a hard rubbish collection drive. It’s not only a problem for the environment, but also a logistical one to throw away a mattress.

Your mattress is killing the planet

In Australia, around 1,25 million mattresses go to landfills every year. Each mattress can take up 0.75 cubic meters of landfill space. Here’s the problem.

• • It overburdens landfills. Even heavy-duty landfill machines cannot compact the mattress and are at risk of being damaged or jammed by the innerspring.
  • The majority of mattresses are indefinitely destined to end up in landfills because they contain components such as steel and polyurethane.

Australia Mattress Disposal Options

There are several ethical and responsible methods to dispose of your mattress. You can donate your mattress or opt for a free/paid mattress pickup.

Here’s how…

You’re thinking of buying a new mattress

Mattress companies may offer discounted or free mattress removal when you buy a mattress. Koala, for example, offers free mattress removals in Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan areas through a partnership with Soft Landing. Check with the retailer or brand you plan to buy from to see if they will also remove your old mattress.

Mattress Removal (Free)

• • • The Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group assists Melbourne’s 31 Metropolitan Councils in collecting and refurbishing end-of-life mattresses.
    • Some local councils offer free mattress recycling and pickup. Click to see if your local council offers such programs.

Give to a recycling unit

Did you know that 80% to 90 % of your mattress could be recycled? a typical mattress contains 12.5kg steel, 2kg timber, and 1.5kg foam, and the remainder is made up of wadding, other fabrics, and other materials. Spring can be used to make new steel that is then used in appliances, buildings and vehicles. Recycled timber can be used as woodchips for particleboard, animal bedding or mulch. Carpet underlay can be made from foam, wadding or latex. Fabrics are used in mattress R&D.

What is the cost?

You can expect to spend an average of $40 on mattress removal and comfort in your home.

Mattresses can be recycled by anyone.

• • • Hardlanding has undoubtedly become Australia’s largest mattress recycler. The company has recovered 17,963 tons of steel springs and 8,297 tons of wood from 190 296 mattresses.
    • Softlanding covers most of Australia. Bedcollect is available in Melbourne, and Matrec can be found in Illawarra and Sutherland Shire.
    • 1800-GOT JUNK is a mattress recycling and removal service.
    • Hire a skip bin, or hire a rubbish removal company to dispose of your mattress responsibly.

Donate to a charity

Donate your mattress to a local or national charity, or to a homeless shelter if it is still in good condition but you no longer need it. These organisations are always in need of mattresses, and will gladly arrange for a free pickup. If they cannot, you can drop it yourself. It’s not only a good thing for the environment, but also for society.

Where Can I Donate?
Donate your used mattresses to charities like St Vincent de Paul Society and The Salvation Army. Habit for Humanity also accepts them. A similar idea is to contact dog shelters to see if they need beds for their dogs.

Resell it

Put your mattress on the secondhand market if you want to sell it. Upload two or three photos of your mattress, along with its specs and details. Quote a price. Hopefully, a buyer will contact you shortly.

Where can I sell it?

Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Gumtree are popular marketplaces for second-hand goods.

Here’s how to dispose of your mattress properly

• • • Do not dump your mattress along the roadside, kerb or in abandoned areas. It’s not only uncivil, but it is also illegal in some cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Fines can be imposed. Fly-tipping is the illegal act of dumping trash.
    • Do not burn mattresses, as they contain toxic materials like foam, synthetic rubber and flame retardants. If you’re close to the source, the fumes can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and even nausea. The Clean Air Regulation prohibits burning garbage in the backyard or the open in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle.

If you do not wish to dispose of your mattress, then…

Be creative. Reuse your mattress and upcycle it!

You can also use it as a porch couch or a pet bed. It might seem funny, but people use innersprings from beds for making gardening walls, jewellery stands, vases and book racks. They also make chandeliers, memory boards, office organizers, compost boxes, and more.