BC Mattress Recycling & Donation Guide

Recycling mattresses is a beneficial practice that helps reduce landfill waste, conserve resources, and minimize environmental impact. Here’s a comprehensive Mattress Recycling & Donation Guide. We will cover topics such as where to recycle, how the process works, and why it’s important:

Don’t dump your mattress in an alley or on the street. It’s illegal and you could be fined for illegal dumping.

Where to Donate a Mattress?

If your mattress is still in good condition, consider donating it to a charity or an organization. This is a form of upcycling that extends the useful life of the product. Used mattresses and box springs in good condition can be offered to friends and family, to a charity, thrift shops, community group or online through social media or an online classifieds service.

Where to Recycle a Mattress?

ASK YOUR RETAILER

When purchasing a new mattress, it’s a good idea to ask the retailer if they offer recycling services for your old mattress. Many retailers are now providing this eco-friendly option to help reduce waste and promote sustainability.

SCHEDULE A LARGE ITEM PICKUP

Many municipalities offer a large item pickup program that provides a convenient collection service for bulky items like old mattresses. Scheduling a pickup with your local waste management or municipal services ensures that your large items are collected and disposed of properly.

Dry Mattresses and box springs (must be dry, wrapped in plastic and securely sealed). Mattresses and box springs must also be free of bed bugs to ensure they are accepted for recycling at the facility.

MATTRESS TRANSFER STATION DROP OFF

Bring it to the transfer station or landfill for recycling
Bring your old mattress and box spring to the transfer station or landfill for a fee. This option is ideal if large items like mattresses, furniture, and appliances aren’t reusable. By taking them to the Zero Waste Centre, transfer station, or landfill, you ensure they are disposed of responsibly, even if fees apply.

Recycling mattresses with bed bugs
Mattresses with bedbugs can still be recycled at the transfer station and landfill, depending on the level of contamination, and for the mattress recycling fee. To ensure safe transport, handling, and recycling, prepare a mattress with bedbugs by wrapping it in a plastic mattress bag or plastic sheeting, which can be purchased at shops selling mattresses or moving supplies. Seal the wrapping securely and label it clearly with “contains bedbugs.” This helps protect workers and others from potential infestation while allowing your mattress to be recycled responsibly.

ABBOTSFORD

VANCOUVER

HIRE A MATTRESS RECYCLING COMPANY

How Mattresses Get Recycled?

Recycling a mattress involves a detailed process that breaks down the mattress into its various components for repurposing. First, the mattress is collected and transported to a recycling facility. There, it is cut open to separate the different materials, such as fabric, foam, metal springs, and wood. The fabric and foam are often shredded and used for carpet underlay, insulation, or new foam products. Metal springs are extracted and sent to metal recycling facilities where they are melted down and reused in manufacturing. Wood components can be chipped and used for mulch or fuel. This meticulous process ensures that up to 95% of the mattress materials are diverted from landfills and given new life in other products, significantly reducing environmental impact.

Manual or Mechanical Separation: Mattresses are typically dismantled manually or through automated processes. Workers or machines will separate the fabric, foam, metal springs, and other materials.

Material Processing: Each material type is processed separately. Metal components like springs are melted down and recycled into new metal products. Foams are cleaned and shredded to be used in padding or insulation. Fabrics and fibers can be used in industrial oil filters, carpet padding, or other textile applications.

Reuse of Wood: Wooden parts of box springs are often chipped or burned for fuel or used in other wood products.

Why Recycle Your Mattress?

Environmental Conservation: Recycling mattresses helps conserve valuable resources by recovering materials that can be reused in new products, reducing the need to extract or produce new raw materials.

Waste Reduction: Mattresses are bulky and consume significant space in landfills. Recycling helps reduce this burden and the associated environmental impacts, such as methane emissions from decomposition.

Economic Benefits: The process of recycling creates jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries, contributing to the economy.