Do you have an old mattress that you are thinking about replacing? Are you feeling overwhelmed about what is the easiest and most efficient way of getting that old model gone? How do you recycle a mattress? Bye Junk has a few tips that could help make getting rid of the old mattress easier. We will cover some mattress facts, how long it can last, how to get rid of them, the impact on the environment, and where and how to get rid of your old mattress.
With all of the new mattress companies offering easy delivery right to your door, Bye Junk can come to pick up your old mattress and any other junk you have around the house for a straight forward price and service. Get a quote from Bye Junk today for your mattress and any other home junk to make room for a new furniture update.
How Long Does The Average Mattress Last?
You always hear how many years of your life you will spend sleeping, it is no surprise that a good mattress can benefit your health and life in more ways than just a good night’s sleep. It is something everyone needs and uses. While also directly affecting your quality of sleep, mood, and stress levels. Because of this, a good mattress can be a big-ticket item that needs to last a long time for the value of the investment. The lifespan of a mattress is usually between 7-10 years. The type of mattress you have can affect the life of the mattress, but if you are over 10 years on a mattress, it may be time to start shopping for a new and improved model. Taking proper care of your mattress can help increase the lifespan. You’ll want to make sure you flip it every so often so that you don’t create lumps or dips in the bed. The mattresses with the longest lifespan are Innerspring, memory foam, and latex. A latex mattress can even last up to 15 years with proper care and maintenance, which can be well worth your investment.
How To Correctly Move A Mattress
People tend to move more than once in 10 years, so when it is time to move your mattress, take extra care during the process. The worst part of moving is finally getting to your new place and realizing some of the items you took time and effort to pack up and move are broken or dirty. Don’t create extra work for yourself and get a mattress bag for moving.
A mattress bag is a large heavy-duty plastic bag that will be sized to fit whichever size bed you have. You slide the mattress into the bag and it will keep it safe from dirt, dust, grime, and even water if it is sealed properly during the move. Protect your investment in the mattress to get all the years you can out of it.
Another thing to consider when moving a bed is the size and weight of the mattress. Box springs are light and easy for one person to move. However, if you have a queen-size bed or larger you’ll be in for a surprise with just how quickly that mattress can get to feeling super heavy. Always have someone else there to help you and if possible wear proper gear to help reduce strain and chance of injury during your move.
How Do You Dispose Of A Mattress?
When the times comes and you get a new mattress it is important to not just dump your old mattress on the streets. In Oakland, volunteers pick up 60 to 80 mattresses each week from the streets. The new mattress can be enticing to just jump in bed and take a nap, but take the time to dispose of a mattress properly.
When it comes time for you to get a new bed and bed frame, you need to decide what to do with your older model. You have a variety of easy options for mattress removal including:
- Donating to a charity or thrift store
- Selling the mattress locally or online
- >Recycling
- Making it a hand me down a mattress for a guest room or to someone you know
- Using a junk removal service to dispose of the mattress properly
When done properly mattress removal is an easy task that can benefit someone you know, your local community, and the environment. However, when done improperly dumping a mattress can cause issues in your community and with the environment.
Below we will cover more topics on why it is important to take care of the mattress properly, and where and who will take them.
Is Throwing Away An Old Mattress Bad For The Environment?
Throwing out a mattress is bad for the environment for multiple reasons. Mattresses don’t belong in landfills for a variety of reasons, but most importantly because there are so many other options you can do before they end up there.
Mattresses are large, bulky, and full of springs and other materials. They take up a lot of space in a landfill and with how often they are thrown out they add up quickly. Just as a mattress is built to support you, they don’t compact well in a landfill. Many dumps and landfills charge separate rates to dispose of an old mattress because of the space they take up and how difficult they are for their machines to handle.
Americans are quick to throw things in the landfill, there are 15 to 20 million mattresses each year to prove the point. If your mattress still has some life left, look to donate first before the landfill.
The environmental impact of a mattress goes beyond just the amount of space they take up. Most are made with not just one, but a variety of toxic chemicals and substances. From chemicals to help make them easier to clean, resistant to fire, and even some that are water-resistant. When you take your mattress to the dump, over time those chemicals will breakdown and enter into the ground. As rain, erosion, and time do their job those chemicals will make their way into the local ecosystem and affect plant and animal life as well as water quality. If a mattress is incinerated those toxic chemicals will get released into the atmosphere and cause even more problems.
The best way to help the environment while upgrading and replacing an old mattress is to recycle it in a way where it can still be used by someone or something.
Can You Recycle A Mattress?
Did you know 80 to 90 percent of a mattress can be recycled? Check out byebyemattress.com or earth911.com for more info on how to recycle a mattress. Recycle centers can charge fees for recycling if you are bringing it in yourself and more if they come to your home to pick it up. Bye Junk always looks to donate, and recycle all items picked up before being taken to the landfill. Due to the easily recyclable nature that mattresses have, it’s one of our easiest items to find an eco-friendly way to dispose of. At Bye Junk, the fee charged to pick up your junk covers all donating and recycling fees. So if you need more than just to recycle a mattress to get rid of, Bye Junk can be the one phone call you need to make.
A recycled mattress is broken down to use the inner materials for other projects. These can be arts and crafts, pet bedding, even compost. The springs inside the mattress can be almost 25 pounds of steel. These can be reused in a number of projects or sold as scrap metal. There are many benefits to mattress recycling and the only thing throwing it in the dump does is ensure it takes up more space than it needs to, will long outlive you, and release hazardous materials in the environment. Help the environment and look to recycle a truly old mattress and make taking it to the dump a last and very rare resort.
You can also upcycle your mattress by donating it. Many places take them in and help them find new homes to those in need. From thrift stores, charities, churches, animal and people shelters, and much more. If your mattress is still in usable shape there are plenty of places in your local community that would be happy to take them.
Bye Junk’s commitment to environmentally friendly disposal first is your easiest solution to mattress recycling. As long as it’s in good enough shape to still be used by someone or something we’ll find it a new home first. If that’s not possible we’ll take care of recycling it properly for you. Just one quick call or text and we’ll take care of all the work. If you have more than just a mattress to get rid of, Bye Junk can be the one phone call you need to make.
How Much Does It Cost To Get Rid Of A Mattress?
Recycle centers charge fees for a mattress, usually between $10 and $20 if you deliver it. As space at the dump becomes less and less available that fee will be increasing. Your local garbage pickup may have a day a month where they will take more than what will fit in your bin, but that mattress is then just going to the landfill. Not to mention you have to store it somewhere on your property while you wait for the large item pick up day. Your local Salvation Army, thrift store, or Goodwill might not take a mattress depending on their local rules and regulations. The local dump or transfer station will have a minimum cost of almost $40 or more.
Beyond the straight-up cost of leaving a mattress at the dump, you also need to factor in your time and effort to get it there. You’ll need to remove it from your room and get it into a truck. This is especially hard if you do not already own a truck. In that case, you’ll need to rent one or borrow one from a friend. Then you have to load it, drive to the drop off point, and then unload it yourself. Everyone’s situation will be different but for many that can be a time-consuming ordeal With Bye Junk, we take care of all that for you. You can also be assured we’ll dispose of your old bed and box spring in the most eco-friendly way possible.
Where Can I Dispose Of A Mattress and Box Spring?
Now that you have decided to not dump your mattress on the street and recycle a mattress, the question is where to take it or who will come to pick it up. In the East Bay, Savers will not take a mattress or box spring. Goodwill in the East Bay has two locations for donation drop-offs. Among the things, they will not take are mattresses, box springs, bed pillows, waterbeds, and hide-a-beds. California mandated a fee to be collected for every unit sold, mattress and box spring, starting in 2015. This fee is to help with the disposal of old mattresses. You can receive a reimbursement at participating collection centers. Find those centers here. The fee added to your mattress was $10.50 and the reimbursement is $3. Finding a place to take your mattress is not as straightforward as other household items.
Benefits Of Using Bye Junk For Mattress Removal, Donation or Disposal
As a junk removal expert in the Bay Area, we see a lot of people’s old furniture and mattress on a regular basis. We founded Bye Junk with the mission to donate and recycle all of the junk before we take it to the landfill. We do charge a $10 fee to recycle a mattress and boxspring because we have to take the mattress to the correct location and recycling centers. As we drive away, you can rest assured that your junk has the best option to live another life and not end up in the landfill. Our prices are upfront with no hidden fees or surcharges. See our pricing page for a quick estimate for what all of your junk might cost.
Bye Junk offers full service junk removal with an environment first focus. We service the entire Bay Area including junk removal in Castro Valley, junk removal in Concord, and junk removal in Pleasanton.