Top Ways on How to Get Rid of a Mattress

Counsellors generally recommend your changing your mattress at an interval of every 7 years. However, changing mattress comes with the need to dispose of your old mattress at first. This leads to the question of how to get rid of a mattress.  

A huge number of options are available for disposing of your old mattresses completely free of cost. However, such methods can bring about both advantages as well as disadvantages. This blog will guide you through different pros and cons of free disposal of mattresses. 

Online selling of your mattress

Selling off your old mattress is a good option for disposing it for free. You can sell it to your acquaintances or on online platforms. In fact, this method gives you the opportunity to get some extra cash along with free disposal of the waste. 

Many online sites allow you to sell your old mattress at flexible price rates. You can also get the facility of negotiating with buyers on these platforms. However, the large and cumbersome size of the mattress makes it a significant challenge for shipping in distant areas. It is, therefore, suitable to find a buyer near your location.

Finding a local buyer is again a challenge itself. This is because it restricts the pool of buyers within a shorter boundary. However, selling off your mattress is still a viable option for free disposal. You can declutter your space along with gaining some extra money. 

Some advantages of this method are:

• You can get to earn some extra money from selling your mattress instead of just disposing it for free.
• Selling your second-hand mattress at a moderate price can be useful to some needy people. It may be of great help to people not being able to afford new mattresses.
• Different online platforms offer opportunities for selling mattresses. This is of great convenience for a seller than selling it physically.

Some disadvantages of this method are:

• You cannot get much flexible selling options or price rates for an old mattress. It will be more dominant on the buyer’s terms.
• E-commerce platforms do not provide you selling opportunities for completely free of cost. You need to pay a particular charge before claiming your appearance as a seller on such platforms.
• You cannot just present a ragged or tattered mattress in the name of an old second-hand product. It needs to be in a desirable condition to attract potential buyers. Buyers will definitely examine every wear and tear in your mattress before buying it.
• No such guarantee exists that your mattress will sell off. This can consume a huge amount of time and engage the space in your home for no reason.
• The size, model, brand, condition, age, fabric and material of your mattress are strong determining factors of your sale point.

Take the mattress to a local recycling agency

You can also dispose your mattress for free by approaching local recycling centres. You can easily get rid of any of your household waste, including old mattresses, with these recycling units. 

After reaching a recycling centre, your mattress will undergo reconstruction. This means the components of your mattress will separate from each other, leaving foam, fabric and springs. These components then undergo recycling separately.

You can, therefore, drop off old mattresses at recycling centres for a smooth recycling experience. This method according to its specific guidelines promotes overall environmental sustainability. It reduces the land filling wastes at the same time.

For this method, some underlying benefits are:

• This is the cheapest option to get rid of a mattress. It allows you to dispose off your old mattress for free.
• The breaking of the components and reconstructing them helps in the recycling process. The reformation of the old mattress into some new product is actually very sustainable for the environment.
• This is the quickest option for getting rid of your old mattress.

On the other hand, some disadvantages of this method include:

• As mattresses are usually quite bulky, it is not that easy to carry the mattress. It either requires the help of some other person, or may need a special vehicle for transportation.
• Not all recycling centres accept old mattresses. You can, however, check your local recycling centre first before presenting your mattress at the spot.

Donating mattress to charity

Local charities and non-profit organisations accept household items like mattresses. You just need to ensure that it is in a fit condition and can meet the fundamental requirements of a mattress.  Most of the people do not realise that the old mattress that may appear unuseful for them, may be of use for someone else.

Charities present you such valuable opportunities to donate your old items for the needy people. Different charities accept different types of materials. It is better to assure from the charitable organisations at first if they accept mattresses. This depends on their space and demand most of the time.

However, the pros of this method majorly include:

• Your donation can actually work as a great support for charities. It often fulfils the need of several people.
• Donation of old mattresses indicates the extensive durability or longevity of those items. These do not dump among the landfill wastes. Hence, this can be a great eco-friendly option for responsible mattress disposal.
• You can also afford this process easily. This is because different charities provide mattress collection services right from your home location.

On the contrary, this method includes the following cons:

• Mattresses with huge damage and flaws are unlikely to sell. In fact, the lack of stringent hygiene in the mattress will make it more unsuitable for sale. Buyers will not accept mattresses if they are not in a good condition.
• All charitable units do not offer services for mattress collection. In such cases, you need to arrange a large vehicle for carrying it to the organisation.
• Fire safety labels should be present on the mattresses intact. If it violates the fire safety standards, you cannot donate it.

Dispose the mattress by yourself

You can also dispose off your old mattress by yourself. Methods including dumping in the garbage bin, leaving it garbage areas or simply by burning help you handle easy mattress disposal all by yourself. However, you should avoid such practices. This is because such methods can violate the regulatory compliance and environmental laws in most of the cases.

Another method of mattress disposal common in the UK is fly-tipping. Fly-tipping basically includes dumping of wastes on a private or public land illegally. The person dumping the waste hopes that someone will definitely pick it up. However, this is a serious offense and can lead to risks of penalties as well. This process further triggers environmental pollution.

According to the policies of waste removal, people may have to pay fine up to £50,000 in such cases. You may also have to undergo imprisonment for up to a year in these conditions. Remember that it not a legal method of responsible waste disposal.  

Burning your old mattress is not again easy. It is made up of several components like foam and synthetic fabrics. These substances may emit poisonous fumes on burning. On one hand this affects the environment causing widespread air pollution. On the other hand, these can cause damage to both human health as well as wildlife.

Recycling centres and professional services of London Rubbish Collection are, therefore, the most suitable options for legal, safe and responsible disposal of old mattresses. You can ensure proper garbage handling with these methods along with producing minimum impacts on the environment. 

For this method, some underlying advantages include:

• Easy and convenient method
• Effective waste management with reduction in land filling waste

Some disadvantages also include:

• Regulatory compliance
• Risks of fly-tipping
• Impact of self-disposal on human health, wildlife and environment as a whole

Summary

According to the discussion above, the prime focus to get rid of a mattress emphasises on three key areas. It requires a proper balance between your budget, convenience and impact on the environment. Mattress removal in London offers you selling off your old mattress either through online disposal or by physical trading. This helps you with extra cash along with emptying your place from wastes. However, shipping challenges are also present in this method.

On the other hand, you can use the donating process either to nearby recycling centres or to charities. These methods also include several underlying pros and cons. However, the process of self-disposal of mattresses is not safe, both for legal and environmental factors. You must choose your method of mattress disposal wisely and responsibly.