What is the most eco-friendly way to dispose of old mattresses?

When you're caught up in the excitement of a new mattress being delivered, you might not think twice about what happens to the old one once it's removed. However, with 20 million mattresses ending up in landfills annually, accounting for 5 percent of landfill waste and contributing to 250 million pounds of weight, it's worth considering the impact [source: Champion, Hasek]. These bulky items can also pose risks in landfills, creating dangerous flammable pockets and damaging machinery [source: St. Vincent de Paul]. Keeping mattresses out of landfills is a priority, but how can you do that?

Surprisingly, donating a mattress is no easy task. Over a decade, a mattress can double its weight due to accumulated body sweat, dead skin, dust mites, and debris, making it easy to see why it's a challenge to donate [source: Jio]. While giving it to a friend might be an option, finding a charity willing to accept it, even after professional cleaning, can be difficult. And if you've ever tried to recycle a mattress, you're aware that most recycling centers won't take them due to the lack of equipment to break them down.

So, what is the most eco-friendly way to dispose of your old mattress? Although it can be challenging, recycling is the optimal solution, as at least 85 percent of a mattress can be recycled [source: St. Vincent de Paul]. Let's explore the recyclable components of a mattress on the next page.

Recyclable Parts of a Mattress

Over the years, mattress designs have evolved, but they all share several key components. While the complex structure of a mattress makes it harder to recycle, once disassembled, the materials inside are both easy and valuable to recycle.

Steel springs, a wooden frame, padding, and fabric with buttons — all of these components can be recycled or reused. Steel, in particular, is a fantastic material for recycling. The cost of recycling steel has dropped so much that you could even profit by melting down the steel springs and selling the resulting material. A mattress typically contains anywhere from 300 to 600 steel coils, depending on its size [source: Better Homes and Gardens]. Higher-quality mattresses tend to have more coils. If you own a premium king-size mattress, it would be a missed opportunity not to recycle it.

Additionally, the mattress stuffing, made of cotton and foam, can be recycled or repurposed for stuffing pillows, reupholstering furniture, or even used in carpet padding. The wooden frame can be shredded for lawn mulch or disassembled to be used as firewood or in carpentry projects. Even the fabric and buttons can be reused, provided the fabric has been cleaned. Even specialty mattresses such as Tempurpedic and memory foam can be recycled because they are composed of similar basic materials.

Box springs can also be recycled at specialized recycling facilities where bulky items like these are accepted. They are fed into a machine designed to rip away the soft materials from the top and bottom, separating the mattress from the box springs. Magnets pull out the springs, and the foam and cotton stuffing are grouped together and shredded for reuse. With the right technology, a mattress can be fully recycled in just four minutes [source: The Christian Science Monitor]. On the next page, we will explore various options for recycling your old mattress.

Where/How to Recycle Your Mattress

Although recycling mattresses is an important and beneficial task, it is not without its challenges. While sustainability and eco-friendly practices have rapidly gained traction, and recycling centers have popped up worldwide, there is still a shortage of facilities that can handle mattress recycling. Most recycling centers lack the necessary technology to process mattresses. The few that can do so generally charge a fee for mattress disposal, and most of these centers only work with businesses, not individuals, because the cost of accepting mattresses one by one is too high.

So, what should an eco-conscious individual do when they have an old mattress to get rid of? Start by searching online to find a recycling center near you that accepts mattresses. Websites like Earth911.com and the International Sleep Products Association can help you find a nearby location. Just remember to call ahead to confirm that they accept mattresses from the public.

If there’s no mattress recycling facility available nearby, you can always take the do-it-yourself route. If you’re handy, or know someone who is, you could dismantle the mattress and reuse its materials yourself. If you're looking to make some extra money, you might consider selling the steel coils to a scrap yard or as scrap metal. You can also donate the stuffing and foam to a local school's home economics class for projects. Additionally, check out second-hand stores in your area that may purchase old mattresses.

If you want to recycle your mattress with minimal effort, ask the store where you’re purchasing your new mattress if they offer a recycling program. They might already have a partnership with a mattress recycling center to handle the disposal of old mattresses they collect. Since many retailers are becoming more environmentally conscious, it’s quite likely that a store near you has an established recycling program. Be sure to call and confirm the details before buying your new mattress.