Many people are completely unaware of the fact that they can recycle their mattress. This is largely due to the fact that it is not widely advertised. However, with improvements in the recycling process and a greater understanding of the need to reduce waste, this has become a great option in a larger number of regions around the world.
First, you will want to determine whether or not you even need a new mattress. Depending on the type of mattress that you have, you may be able to simply flip it to get better sleeping conditions. It may also be suitable to simply add a mattress topper to make it feel like new again. The first step in reducing your carbon footprint and waste is to use an item until it no longer can be used, within reason.
If you are determined that you need a new mattress, but the old one is still in relatively good shape, it may be able to be sold or given away. This is especially true if it has very little to no stains and has not been infested with any type of insects, such as bed bugs. A bed may no longer meet your needs, but is still far better than what someone else has. By selling or giving it away you are giving someone else the opportunity to get a comfortable night’s sleep and keeping it out of the landfill. It can actually be relatively easy to sell a mattress on social media or other sites. The key is to give a good description, include an image and require the purchaser to pick it up themselves. This will reduce the amount of work that you put into it and can even earn you some money to put towards the purchase of an improved model.
If you are sure that your mattress is beyond the reasonable use of anyone there is a good chance that it can be recycled somewhere near you. You can search online to see if there are recycling centers in your area. Even if there isn’t a specific recycling center, the store from which you purchase the new bed may be willing to take your old one away and have it recycled at one of their own facilities. Be sure to take some time to do your research to determine whether any of these are an option to reduce the amount of waste going into your local landfill. Due to the fact that they are so large, they can take up a great deal of space. They also contain materials, such as metal, which can take seemingly forever to degrade.
If you have done your research and find that there just is not a reasonable means of recycling your mattress in your area, then clearly you will need to find a way to dispose of it. In some areas you may be able to leave it with the rest of your garbage for collection. If it had become infested with bugs you will want to make clear cuts into the materials. This signals others that it is not good for use, and essentially makes it impossible to use if they do not get the message. You should check with your local garbage collection guidelines as there are places that have very specific rules.
