How To Dispose Of Your Mattress Responsibly

Ever wondered what the right way to dispose of your mattress is? Do you have an old mattress that you want to get rid of whilst also protecting the environment? Well, you’re in the right place!

Every year, millions of mattresses are disposed of in the wrong way - they end up in landfills and take many years to decay into the earth. With your small contribution of disposing of your mattress in the right way, you can help protect the environment and local wildlife. 

In this guide, we’ll uncover the reasons why it’s so important to responsibly dispose of your mattress, along with the best local places that you can go to when it comes to disposing of them, as well as signs that it’s time to dispose of your mattress and which new one to pick. So, why don’t we dive in and have a better insight into how we can protect the environment? 

Why Is It Important To Responsibly Dispose Of My Mattress?

It is estimated that around 7-8 million mattresses end up in landfills each year, and the UK is facing a large issue with fly-tipping and abandoned mattresses in our countryside environments. Due to the materials of metal springs and thick layers of cotton and polyester, mattresses can take years to disintegrate into the earth. Mattresses that are abandoned or are left in landfills are often toxic to the environment since they can contaminate the soil and water, where chemicals and synthetic materials mix into the ground as the mattress deteriorates over time. This can have catastrophic impacts on the surrounding wildlife and the land where the mattresses have been disposed of. 

Fly-tipping is also an illegal activity, which harms wildlife and local communities, so any avoidance of this will make neighbourhoods feel cleaner and safer. So, taking simple yet important steps of disposing of your mattress is a great way to protect the environment, look after our planet and nurture our wildlife. 

Responsibly disposing of your mattress is a healthy and ethical habit that can inspire other people to do the same. When more and more people come together and ethically dispose of their mattress, it has more of a wide-scale positive effect on combatting the issue of excessive mattresses ending up in landfills. We can work as a team to have a big impact! 

Best Local Places To Dispose Of Your Mattress

There are so many local and helpful places that you can go to when it comes to disposing of your mattress in the right way. 

Usually, the first port of call can be to take your mattress to your local recycling centre, where they’ll be able to break down the materials of the mattress and use them for other products in the future. For example, they can use the metal springs for new steel products such as car parts, bicycle frames, metal furniture, metal tools and hardware - the list goes on! 

Recycling centres can also repurpose the synthetic or cotton materials for textiles and yarn to make more fabric furniture padding, carpet underlay and even clothes. You’ll actually be surprised when it comes to the indefinite possibilities of how the metal springs inside your mattress and the synthetic materials can be used time and time again. It’s a fantastic way to reduce waste and give back to the world!

Another way that you can ethically dispose of your mattress is by arranging it with your local council. This is ideal if you think that you might find yourself struggling to take the mattress yourself if it doesn’t fit in your car. Most councils offer a bulky waste collection service, where they can take anything to a local recycling centre that you might struggle with yourself, not just mattresses! Not only does this save you time and effort travelling to your local recycling centre, but the job is basically done for you when it comes to disposing of your mattress. 

Another rewarding and ethical way to dispose of your mattress is by taking it to your local charity shop. Simply call them up before you take it down to check if they have the room to accept it, but more often than not, they are able to take it from you. This is a great way to not only protect the environment and reduce waste, but to also support a local charity with their goals and missions in a certain cause. Enriching, rewarding and ethical - taking your mattress to a local charity shop has so many benefits! 

Recycle here
man holding mattress

Signs That It’s Time To Dispose Your Mattress

After around 7-10 years, mattresses generally start to deteriorate and show signs of wear and tear. Let’s take a look at some key pointers for when it’s time to responsibly dispose of your mattress. 

The first general sign of wear and tear is any sagging and dips. A mattress that has had weight concentrated in certain areas of it over time can cause indentations across its surface, so this is a key sign that your mattress might be due for a replacement. To prevent this sagging and dipping, you can easily rotate your mattress 180 degrees every 3 months or so, as a trick to help maintain your mattress’ lifespan. It’s that easy!

Another telltale sign that your mattress might be due for a replacement is if it's been over 7 years and the pocket springs are starting to squeak. This is particularly common in mattresses such as open coil, pocket sprung and traditional mattresses which have lots of springs inside. They can wear out over time, and if they’re getting too squeaky and start interrupting your sleep, it’s a big sign that it might be on its way out.
 

For memory foam mattresses, an easy trick to identify whether you need a replacement is by sinking your hand into the surface of the mattress a couple of inches deep. If it takes a while to bounce back, the elasticity and viscosity of the mattress might be weakening over time, losing its strength. New memory foam mattresses tend to quickly respond to movements, pressures and different shapes. This simple and quick method will tell you whether or not it's time to go shopping for a new cosy mattress any time soon! 

For more tips and advice when it comes to replacing your mattress, why not visit some more of our guides while you sit back and relax with a brew? 

What Are Some Eco-friendly Aspects Of Our Mattresses?

So, you’ve discovered some signs of wear and tear in your mattress and you’ve disposed of it in the responsible way. But now you’re shopping around for a new one, and you’re unsure what to get. Why don’t we take a look at some of our eco-conscious mattresses that are bound to giving you so many nights of restful sleep?  

Many of our mattresses have aspects that make them eco-friendly. For example, our Chelsea Open Coil Spring Tufted Mattress is made with a knitted cotton layer. Cotton is a natural material that is non-toxic and can easily disintegrate into the earth without harming wildlife and altering the chemical composition of the soil, in the unfortunate circumstance where it’s irresponsibly disposed of. 

Similarly, we also have mattresses that are made with cashmere, a type of wool that’s natural, non-toxic and offers plenty of comforting support. This is also a great choice if you’re shopping around for a new mattress that’s designed with eco-friendly elements. 

Chelsea Mattress
bedding cover

Other Eco-Friendly Bedding Ideas

If you’re feeling inspired and wanting to become even more environmentally friendly with your sleeping environment, why not consider some other bedding choices, as well as your mattress? We have some tips on how you can go an extra step further when it comes to being more sustainable in your bedroom. 

The first option is to use organic cotton materials when it comes to bedding, throws, duvet covers and pillows. Not only is this a natural material that is biodegradable, but it’s also a breathable material that can help those who are hot sleepers or have allergies. 

You could even go for bedding that’s recycled and repurposed. There are plenty of luxurious duvet covers and pillowcases that have been made from textiles that have had a past life, so to speak. Recycled, sustainable and comfortable, they’re great options to protect the environment and enhance your sleep quality.  

Begin Leading An Eco-friendly Lifestyle & Dispose Of Your Mattress The Right Way

After reading this guide, we hope you now have a better insight into how you can responsibly dispose of your mattress whilst protecting the planet and the environment. We’ve talked about the best places you can go to in order to dispose and recycle your mattress, as well as the important reasons why we all need to dispose of them the right way. 

Based in Bradford, we also have a showroom where you can pop down and visit us. You can get a feel for the mattress that’s right for you if you’re shopping around for a new one. 

For more tips and information on choosing the right mattress for your sleeping position or if you’re interested in finding out how to prolong the life of your mattress, then why not take a look at some more of our other guides? If you’re stuck and have any other questions, our friendly customer service team is happy to help you, every step of the way. 

223 Reviews

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4.5 Rating 223 Reviews

Anonymous

Verified Customer

My experience with Sloomy has been extremely disappointing from start to finish. The bed ordered via Debenhams for my vulnerable mother-in-law, who suffers from COPD and has limited mobility following a stroke, failed to arrive on the scheduled delivery date with no communication, update, or explanation. We had spent the day preparing for the delivery, including removing her existing bed, only to be left without any bed at all when the delivery failed to turn up. As a result, she was forced to spend the night sleeping on a sofa, causing significant discomfort and distress given her medical conditions. Despite the seriousness of the situation, there was little acknowledgment of the impact this had. When the bed finally arrived the following day, we discovered that the headboard could not be assembled because the required fittings were either missing or defective. What should have been a straightforward resolution turned into a frustrating and prolonged process. Attempts to obtain support have been met with slow responses, with Debenhams and sloomy passignbuck between each other, repeated requests for the same information, and a complete lack of ownership of the issue. We have been repeatedly asked to wait for escalations that never seem to happen, provide photographs multiple times, and start the process over with different agents who appear unaware of previous correspondence. Most concerning has been the apparent lack of urgency despite it being made clear that the customer affected is vulnerable. The combination of a missed delivery, poor communication, an incomplete product, lengthy delays in customer service responses, and failure to resolve the problem promptly has left us with very little confidence in Sloomy's customer care. Overall, this experience has been stressful, frustrating, and wholly unacceptable. I would not expect a vulnerable customer to be treated in this manner, and I hope significant improvements are made to both delivery reliability and after-sales support.

3 days ago

Anonymous

Verified Customer

Disgraceful customer service. Non existent

14 days ago

Anonymous

Verified Customer

I ordered my sons bed to arrive two days before his birthday, I was pleasantly surprised when I received a text message to say it would actually arrive 6 days before his birthday, delivery was scheduled between 6am and 11am. On the delivery day I was at work and by 2.30pm I received a message saying the delivery van had broken down and they would contact me with an alternative date. Now I can understand that these things happen, what I do not understand and was infuriating was that I must have rang the landline number 20 times and the mobile number used to text me the same amount of times and that no one pciked up or answered the phone. The landline number just rang 5 times and then went dead. The service was shocking and being in limbo worrying if my son would get his bed before his birthday was frustrating. I did eventually get my bed at 6.35am on a bank holiday Monday morning!! I will admit the actual bed is very good quality and I cannot understimate this My advice for this company is that be aware if something goes wrong then you will be annoyed an frustrated

16 days ago

Sam

Verified Customer

Nice bed, i really like it

1 months ago

Kathryn wright

Verified Customer

Very nice bed, kept me up to date with delivery dates and times, wrong size of head board sent, phoned up, spoke to Rayhaan, he had the new headboard sent out to me within 2/3 days with an apology. Excellent service

2 months ago

Anonymous

Verified Customer

Great divan beds at amazing prices. By far the cheapest around but the beds are so luxurious. Customer service was excellent and responded quickly to my queries, would recommend.

3 months ago

Anonymous

Verified Customer

Verry good customer service and help from rayhaan, verry patient and understanding. Amazing and outstanding customer service once again which is highly appreciated. Really really helpful thank you !!

3 months ago

Ademola Arowona

Verified Customer

Nice Bed and Mattress. Good value for money spent. This should be 5 stars but delivery did not come early

4 months ago

Anonymous

Verified Customer

I would strongly advise others to think carefully before ordering from Sloomy. The bed I received was faulty and not fit for use. From the outset, resolving the issue was made unnecessarily difficult. Despite explaining that I am disabled, I was repeatedly asked to repackage and handle a large, broken bed using the original packaging, which was not a reasonable or accessible request. When I asked for communication by email as a reasonable adjustment, this was ignored. I was instead pushed into phone contact, and when I explained I record calls to help manage my disability, the representative refused to continue the conversation. At no point was a fair or practical resolution offered. The overall handling of this issue shows a complete lack of customer care and disregard for accessibility. This has been stressful, upsetting, and entirely avoidable. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this company.

4 months ago

Anonymous

Verified Customer

Appalling Service and are not interested in retaining customers and obviously do not want a business. Placed an order with a specified delivery date to be advised by message that they cannot deliver until a week later than this. No apology and not interested in resolving. Do not use this company

4 months ago

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