Donate or recycle? 5 Great Ways to Dispose of Your Old Mattress
Your brand new, comfy Stumptown Mattress arrives at your doorstep. Time to get some excellent shut-eye on a new mattress made in the Pacific Northwest. But first, what can I do with my old mattress?
At Stumptown, we encourage you to find alternative disposal methods to the local landfill whenever possible. Here are 5 great ways to make sure your old mattress does not end up in the landfill:
DONATE YOUR MATTRESS.
Before you go this route – make sure your mattress is clean, no contaminants, no mold, and no damage like tears or coils popping out. Furniture banks will only take used mattresses in good condition!
Start off by asking family and friends if they know of someone who needs a mattress? You might be surprised at how easy it is to find a home for an old mattress.
Contact a local furniture bank. Furniture banks operate in many cities across the USA. These non-profits typically take in clean, used mattresses and place those mattresses with needy families. Furniture banks are usually looking for twin, full, and queen sizes only.
In Portland, Oregon we suggest contacting Community Warehouse. They have two locations in the Metro area. In the Puget Sound area, try the Northwest Furniture Bank in Tacoma.
You can also try The National Furniture Bank Association. This organization has a nationwide directory of furniture banks operating in most regions. Many of these furniture banks offer pick-up services for a small fee at your home. These agencies usually work with social service providers to make sure old mattresses wind up with a family in need.
RECYCLE YOUR MATTRESS
Mattresses can be torn apart, stripped down and their materials used for a variety of purposes. Old foams are shredded and used in the carpet industry. Coils are melted down and reused in the metals industry. Even the textiles can be shredded and used for different applications.
There are numerous online resources for finding mattress recyclers near your home. We recommend trying Bye Bye Mattress or Earth 911. Both sites can guide you to a nearby recycling center by entering your zip code.
In the Portland, Oregon area we recommend Environmentally Conscious Recycling (ECR). Located at 12409 NE San Rafael St, ECR charges a minimum $35 drop-off fee which covers one or two mattresses.
In Eugene we suggest St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County for mattress recycling. Visit their website to learn more about drop-off locations and hours.
SELL OR GIVEAWAY YOUR OLD MATTRESS
Yes, there’s a busy marketplace on Craigslist and other platforms to sell your mattress. Use common sense precautions when posting and meeting customers through these marketplaces.
There are also numerous sites such as FreeCycle that allow users to post offering free stuff, like mattresses.
DIY and REPURPOSING
We’ve seen many customers tear apart their old mattresses to create entire new works of art, furnishings, and other items. Foams can be used to create pet beds or pillows. Metals can be sold as scrap. We’ve seen mattresses used as art canvases for kids at local schools to create giant paintings and collages.
DISPOSAL COMPANIES
A simple online search will locate numerous haulers in almost every community. Companies like Load Up and Haul it All provide mattress removal services. Many of these operators will charge anywhere from $50 to $200 for pick-up and disposal of your old mattress.
GOOD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, GOOD FOR THE PLANET
Thank you for reading over our 5 suggestions for discarding your old mattress. With a little extra work and some online sleuthing, you will find a place in your community to either help a family in need or recycle your old mattress. And ultimately, keep your old mattress out of the landfill.
Your brand new, comfy Stumptown Mattress arrives at your doorstep. Time to get some excellent shut-eye on a new mattress made in the Pacific Northwest. But first, what can I do with my old mattress?
At Stumptown, we encourage you to find alternative disposal methods to the local landfill whenever possible. Here are 5 great ways to make sure your old mattress does not end up in the landfill:
DONATE YOUR MATTRESS.
Before you go this route – make sure your mattress is clean, no contaminants, no mold, and no damage like tears or coils popping out. Furniture banks will only take used mattresses in good condition!
Start off by asking family and friends if they know of someone who needs a mattress? You might be surprised at how easy it is to find a home for an old mattress.
Contact a local furniture bank. Furniture banks operate in many cities across the USA. These non-profits typically take in clean, used mattresses and place those mattresses with needy families. Furniture banks are usually looking for twin, full, and queen sizes only.
In Portland, Oregon we suggest contacting Community Warehouse. They have two locations in the Metro area. In the Puget Sound area, try the Northwest Furniture Bank in Tacoma.
You can also try The National Furniture Bank Association. This organization has a nationwide directory of furniture banks operating in most regions. Many of these furniture banks offer pick-up services for a small fee at your home. These agencies usually work with social service providers to make sure old mattresses wind up with a family in need.
RECYCLE YOUR MATTRESS
Mattresses can be torn apart, stripped down and their materials used for a variety of purposes. Old foams are shredded and used in the carpet industry. Coils are melted down and reused in the metals industry. Even the textiles can be shredded and used for different applications.
There are numerous online resources for finding mattress recyclers near your home. We recommend trying Bye Bye Mattress or Earth 911. Both sites can guide you to a nearby recycling center by entering your zip code.
In the Portland, Oregon area we recommend Environmentally Conscious Recycling (ECR). Located at 12409 NE San Rafael St, ECR charges a minimum $35 drop-off fee which covers one or two mattresses.
In Eugene we suggest St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County for mattress recycling. Visit their website to learn more about drop-off locations and hours.
SELL OR GIVEAWAY YOUR OLD MATTRESS
Yes, there’s a busy marketplace on Craigslist and other platforms to sell your mattress. Use common sense precautions when posting and meeting customers through these marketplaces.
There are also numerous sites such as FreeCycle that allow users to post offering free stuff, like mattresses.
DIY and REPURPOSING
We’ve seen many customers tear apart their old mattresses to create entire new works of art, furnishings, and other items. Foams can be used to create pet beds or pillows. Metals can be sold as scrap. We’ve seen mattresses used as art canvases for kids at local schools to create giant paintings and collages.
DISPOSAL COMPANIES
A simple online search will locate numerous haulers in almost every community. Companies like Load Up and Haul it All provide mattress removal services. Many of these operators will charge anywhere from $50 to $200 for pick-up and disposal of your old mattress.
GOOD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, GOOD FOR THE PLANET
Thank you for reading over our 5 suggestions for discarding your old mattress. With a little extra work and some online sleuthing, you will find a place in your community to either help a family in need or recycle your old mattress. And ultimately, keep your old mattress out of the landfill.
