8 Eco-Friendly Ideas On What To Do With Old Mattress

When an old mattress starts to sag in the middle or develops an uncomfortable lump, most of us would be tempted to simply throw it away and buy a new one.

But what if there are better ways to get rid of your old mattresses? Because the sad truth is this:

Once an old mattress leaves your home, it is likely going to end in a landfill somewhere, along with the millions of other old mattresses thrown away by their previous owners.

In the United States alone, 18.2m mattresses are thrown away each year, most of which, as you can guess, end up in a landfill!

So, if we want to help reduce waste in our landfills, we need to find a responsible way of disposing of our old mattress to help protect our environment for the next generation.

That’s where we come in.

Below are 8 environmentally-friendly and creative ways to dispose of your old mattress and keep them out of landfills

Let’s take a look at your options.

1. Give your old mattress to the needy

If your mattress is still in good shape, one of the best things you can do is to give your old mattress to other people.

This way, someone in need will be able to benefit from your old mattress, and you’ll be keeping it out of the landfill.

Now, you might be thinking:

“Who would be happy to receive your old and used mattress?”

Well, you’d be surprised how many people might be in the market for free mattresses. As long as your old mattress is still in good shape, you can help them out.

For starters, you can visit homeless people as they are the most needy. 

You can also speak with your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors and ask them if they know someone who would be happy to get a used mattress for free.

Alternatively, you can also use your social media account or online marketplaces like Craigslist to let more people know that you’re giving away an old but still usable mattress.

2. Donate old mattress to a charity

If you’re too busy to find someone who might use your old mattress, you can donate it to charities and institutions and let them do the rest.

For instance, you can donate your old mattresses to the Goodwill, Furniture Bank, or Salvation Army.

You can also donate to churches, shelters, and disaster relief shelters who are willing to accept your donation.

Another option on what to do with an old mattress is to donate it to a pet rescue center and local animal shelters.

After all, humans are not the only ones who can benefit from old mattresses and a particularly great option if you don’t have a pet at home.

3. Sell your used mattresses

Selling is both an eco-friendly and practical way of disposing of your old mattress.

But before you decide to sell your old mattress, first check the laws in your state about selling a used item to save yourself the hassle of getting into trouble.

But in most parts of the United States, selling old and used mattresses is allowed.

How to sell your old mattress?

Be transparent and honest to your potential buyers when selling your old mattress.

Also, below are the things you must prepare to invite potential buyers:

• What is the mattress’ brand, model, size and reviews
• The mattress’ materials used (memory foam, polyfoam, springs, etc.) and the fabric used in the cover
• Mention how old your mattress and how long it has been used in your family
• How often is the mattress used
• What are your old mattress’ current condition; are there stains, sagging, etc
• Seller perks (delivery included, or pick-up only)

Where to sell your old mattress?

Some of the best places to sell your old mattress include:

• Garage sales
• Thrift shops
• Facebook Marketplace
• Rubylane
• eBay Classifieds
• OfferUp
• LetGo
• Craigslist

You can also find more places to sell your old mattress, type “where to sell old mattress online” or “where to sell old mattress near me”.

4. Scrap old mattress for parts

If your old mattress is already severely damaged or worn out, giving it away or selling it might be out of the options.

So what you can do is to consider breaking it down and reusing its materials. 

Old mattresses can be a gold mine of valuable and usable materials including, steel springs, wood, foam, and other textiles.

These old mattress materials can be used for DIY crafts at home, or can be sold for cash.

5. Upcycle old mattress

There are almost endless creative ways to upcycle an old mattress. 

You can start by doing a quick search online on how to upcycle an old mattress and you’ll find plenty of ideas.

Here are our favorites:

Use old mattress springs as flower vase holder

Old mattress springs can come in handy for DIY home decor. You can use it as a flower vase holder.

Simply place one upright and pop in a flower vase.

Voila!

Make a planter from old mattress

Another great thing you can do with your old mattress instead of throwing it away is to use it as a planet for your home garden.

How? Start by removing and pulling away all the fabric and foam off your old mattress to reveal the inner frame and springs. 

Then, place it on the wall and fill the spring holes with tiny plants.

Use old mattress as mulch in your garden

You may not know this but mattresses make great mulch because they’re absorbent and help to retain moisture.

However, make sure to remove any metal springs before using it in your garden beds.

Use it as padding for a DIY home project

You can use your old mattress for soundproofing a room or creating cushioned flooring.

Turn old mattress into a pet bed

You can make a pet bed out of your old mattress.

Remove the outer fabric and stuff it with pillow stuffing or blankets and you now have a DIY pet for your fur babies.

We bet your furry little buddy will be grateful for your old mattress, plus it will also have a calming effect on your pet as it has your scent all over it.

Pretty neat, huh?

If you want more ideas on how to upcycle old mattresses, click here.

6. Recycle old mattress

Can old mattresses be recycled? Yes!

This is a great option if you can’t donate your old mattress or you don’t have time to upcycle or scrap it for parts.

Contact the recycling facilities in your municipality and other recycling facilities near your and ask them if they accept recycling old mattresses.

However, recycling facilities generally have some restrictions, such as if your old mattress is infested with bed bugs, wet, or stained, it may not be accepted.

For more options, you can also search online for “mattress recycling facilities near me” or “free mattress recycling near me”.

In most cases, you will typically pay a fee to have your old mattress recycled.

You can drop off your old mattress to a recycling facility yourself or you can have it picked up for an extra fee.

Alternatively, companies that sell new mattresses will also accept old mattresses for recycling. You can contact the store or the retailer of your old mattress and ask them about this service.

7. Call your local junk collector

This option comes in handy if you live in an area that doesn’t have a recycling facility that accepts recycling old mattresses.

You can try contacting your local junk removal service. 

They might be able to help you on what to do with your old mattress by donating it, scrapping it for parts, or recycling it themselves instead of taking it to the landfill.

8. Compost your old mattress

If at this point you’re still thinking for other ways on what to do with old mattress, why not compost it?

This option is viable especially if your old mattress is made with organic fabric and has a wooden frame.

You can use the wood slats of the frame to create the actual bin for your compost, while the foam padding or cotton stuffing of your mattress can be used as a cover to protect the compost from the elements.

This will help keep the compost pile warm, which accelerates the whole composting process. 

There are many benefits to composting, and if you can compost your old mattress, not only will you be helping reduce waste in landfills but you will also be able to utilize the materials of your mattress to the maximum.

Final Thoughts

There you have it folks.

Instead of simply throwing away your old mattress, there are actually many creative and eco-friendly ways on what to do with an old mattress. 

Most people don’t know that the usual ways of disposing of old mattresses, like leaving it in the curb for garbage pick-up or hauling it down to the local dump have some serious environmental impacts.

So next time you’re ready to get rid of yours, don’t just toss it in the trash.

As we just shared with you here, there are many clever ways on what to do with an old mattress that can benefit you, other people, and the planet.

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