What people don’t know about mattresses is that many of their materials and components are easily recyclable. Yet, hundreds of thousands of used mattresses in Australia end up in landfills yearly.
When moving to a new house, old mattresses are often left behind and just replaced with a new one, leaving the old one to be disposed of.
There are many ways to repurpose or recycle mattresses, and there are even services that can be availed for that specific purpose. Read on!
Eco-Friendly Mattress Recycling
While it sounds easy to just leave your old mattress lying on the curb and wait for the garbage collectors to pick them up, there are so many better alternatives.
If you live in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or the Gold Coast, you can now recycle your mattress with Ecosa! We are offering our own recycling service for these cities, so they do not need to end up in landfills.
Click here to recycle your old mattress with Ecosa.
When recycling your old mattress, it’s important to check the specific recycling options available in your city. Many Australian cities have dedicated programs, and you can find helpful resources on the following pages:
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Cairns
- Canberra
- Geelong
- Gold Coast
- Hobart
- Melbourne
- Newcastle
- Perth
- Sunshine Coast
- Sydney
- Toowoomba
For other cities or regions, please check with your local council or recycling centres for more information on how to responsibly dispose of your mattress.
Sending old beds to a mattress recycling service is not just more convenient, it’s also an eco-friendly way of disposing of what shouldn’t be considered as waste.
Collection services are also implemented by these mattress recycling programs to make it simpler for those who find it difficult to drop off a mattress. The mattress recyclers may add a small fee for the pick-up service.
What Happens to the Mattress When It’s Recycled?
Mattress recyclers repurpose the materials into more usable everyday things, giving new life to your old bed.
Metal springs – Some mattresses are made with steel springs and coils inside them. The springs are treated as scrap metal and melted down. After the process, the springs are made into roofs and other metal items.
Foam – Foam is the main component of any mattress. The foam is often shredded by blades run by industrial machines. Broken down pieces of the foam often become repurposed as carpet underlays and, in some cases, can also be converted to fuel.
Wood materials – Wooden bed frames may also be recycled through mattress recycling facilities. They can be chipped or crushed and can be used as garden mulch or repurposed as animal beddings.
Manufacturers can reuse these mattress components for other products, making sustainability more viable down the line.
Other options
Recycle by Yourself
Knowing what recycling facilities do, you may opt to do this yourself and repurpose it according to your needs. For example, making your own garden mulch, turning a profit by selling scrap metal, and many other things that can only be limited by your imagination.
Recycling and tearing down the mattress on your own is not for the faint-hearted, but it can be a fun weekend project you can do on your own or with friends and family.
Resell Instead
You don’t always have to throw an old mattress away if it’s still in good condition. Post an ad on an online marketplace or offer it to your friends. There’s a good chance you can make a little money or at least do a good deed and help someone out.
Selling your old mattress probably won’t get you enough cash to get a new one, but every little bit helps.
Give it away
If you want to spare yourself the hassle of making a posting or finding a buyer for your old mattress, why not just donate it or give it away?
Do a good deed and help somebody in need. Some homeless shelters would openly accept mattresses from donations.
In the Market for a New Mattress?
When mattress shopping, consider looking for a mattress with an extended warranty and is high quality, so it’ll stand the test of time. It’s not worth it to waste mattresses and replace them every few years, as this will cost you more in the long run.
The Ecosa Memory Foam Mattress uses eco-friendly materials and is easily recycled at the end of its long life. With a 15-year warranty and a 100 Night Trial, you can rest assured knowing you won’t have any regrets.
