Can I Put a Mattress in a Skip?
It’s recommended that you replace your mattress every seven years; when the time comes, unfortunately, it’s often confusing and awkward to dispose of an old mattress yourself.
Can I Put a Mattress in a Skip?
Mattresses are classed as a bulky waste item, they are difficult to transport without a large vehicle or van, and as a result, mattresses are one of the most common items to be fly tipped. In the UK it is estimated that 7.5 million mattresses go to landfill every year.
Domestic skip hire is ideal for house clearance and getting rid of larger household items; however, it is important to understand what items can be put in a skip. Not all skip hire companies will let you put a mattress in a skip, so it’s important to let us know if you’ll be adding a mattress to your waste. It’s better to pay a small additional fee up front, rather than risk a fine later.
Additional fees for putting a mattress in a skip
There will be a charge for including a mattress in your skip, this fee varies depending on your location and service provider. This is due to the fact a mattress needs to be disposed of differently to other waste. Just let us know if your waste will include a mattress and we’ll provide you with the correct prices for your location.
How to dispose of a mattress – alternative options
When deciding how to dispose of a mattress there are some alternative options you can consider. The options you can choose will depend on what is available in your area, the condition of your mattress and if you are able to transport the mattress yourself.
Reuse
If your mattress is still in a good and usable condition, consider donating it to a charity or furniture shop. Contact the charity first to make sure they will accept the mattress; you’ll usually need to transport it yourself. Some charities will collect the mattress from you, but you may need to send them photographs first, so they can check it is in saleable condition. Mattresses can only be resold by a charity if they still have the fire safety label attached (usually sewn underneath the mattress).
Professional removal
If buying a replacement mattress, you can often pay the supplier to take away your old mattress when they deliver the new one. Prices vary and can be quite expensive, you’ll also need to check if the mattress will be recycled or sent to landfill.
Local council collection
Check with your local council to find out if they offer mattress collection and disposal. You’ll need to get the mattress outside to a specified location for council operatives to collect it. Prices vary depending on your location and lack of resources often means your mattress will end up in landfill.
Recycle
some local recycling centres accept mattresses; costs vary depending on your location. You’ll need to transport the mattress yourself, so it’s worth checking with the centre that they’ll accept it before you wrestle the mattress into the car (or more likely a van or trailer).
What happens to my mattress after disposal?
If a mattress is recycled it needs to be taken to a specialist facility, where multiple materials in the mattress will need to be broken down into individual components. The separated components can then be recycled. Metal springs, foam, cotton and coconut fibres for example, all need to be treated differently in the recycling process.
recommends replacing your mattress every seven years; when the time comes, unfortunately it’s often confusing and awkward to dispose of an old mattress yourself.
