How To Dispose of a Mattress

As a key household item for your comfort, mattresses are meant to last between seven and ten years. However, when it comes time to change up your mattress – whether because it’s lost that soft, cushioned feeling or because you’re upgrading your child’s mattress – putting some thought into how you dispose of your old one is vital.

Recyclable materials are within all mattresses but, sadly, too many still end up in landfill sites or get fly-tipped somewhere remote. According to The National Bed Federation, each year, the UK still sends millions of mattresses that have reached the end of their life to landfill, something we’re keen to help change.

This month at Reston Waste, we’re looking at how you can dispose of your mattress in more responsible ways to help the planet.

How to dispose of your mattress

As large and sometimes bulky items, it’s easy to see why people might be confused about the best way to get rid of a mattress. However, there are a few different ways you can approach this task to ensure you’re doing your best to minimise your environmental impact.

Here are a few options available to you when you want to dispose of a mattress in London:

Donate – Believe it or not, you might be able to donate your mattress to a local charity if it’s still in good condition. That means it has to be clean, without stains, and still have the fire safety label attached so that it can be resold. This is a great way to give a mattress with life left in it a new home.

Sell online – If your mattress is in really good condition, you could consider selling it online using one of the many marketplaces. Just be sure to state whether you can transport it or whether the buyer needs to collect it with their own transport to make sure everything is clear.

Council collection – Some councils for London boroughs will offer a furniture collection service from the roadside to help you get rid of bulky waste. However, you will need to book and pay for this service if it’s available in your area (London Borough of Merton currently charges £37.00, for example), leaving items within the boundary of your property, which may not always be possible if you live in a flat.

Waste management – Experts in waste management will be better placed to accept your mattress whether it’s on an individual basis or part of a larger service. At Reston Waste, we offer the collection of a mattress along with the rest of your waste, with a small charge of £30 +VAT per mattress. 

Whether you’re a student getting rid of an old mattress or you’ve upgraded your bedroom furniture and have had to change the side of your mattress, there is always an option for responsible disposal.

Can you put a mattress in a skip?

Skips are a great way to get rid of your general waste, and while a bed frame can be placed in a skip, some companies prohibit you from putting mattresses in the same skip. This is because they’re larger, bulkier items and can sometimes be difficult for companies to process for recycling. This is what often leads people to take matters into their own hands and fly-tip.

But that doesn’t need to happen! 

Here at Reston Waste, you can put your mattresses in our skips. Just be sure to let us know how many mattresses you wish to dispose of when booking your skip or waste collection service in London. This allows us to make sure we provide the right service for you. View more details on our accepted and restricted waste types here.

Professional mattress disposal in London

We’re committed to providing essential waste and rubbish collection across West, South West, South East and Central London, helping to keep all the boroughs free from waste. We aim for a 100% recycling rate, so you can be confident that you’re doing the right thing by disposing of your mattress in London through us.

Call us today to book any of our services or to enquire about mattress disposal with our friendly team and we’ll be happy to help.