Purchasing a new mattress is an enjoyable endeavour for many people – particularly when they are replacing a worn, mass-produced, thinly filled mattress with a luxury handmade mattress from The Odd Mattress Company! However, the joy of welcoming a new, bespoke and tailor-made mattress to your home can be marred with worries of how to dispose of the old mattress in a responsible way. 

The complex nature of the components which make up a mattress make it very difficult to efficiently break down into its constituent parts and subsequently recycle. Conventional equipment used at refuse centres struggle to process mattress springs without the coils getting caught and damaging the machinery. Mattress fillings require the use of specialist tools to separate them from the spring core, or must be removed by hand – making this process a time-consuming, and costly exercise. It is therefore no surprise that the majority of local councils send the old mattresses they collect as part of their disposal service directly to landfill (the effect of which is that over 167,000 tonnes of old mattresses in the UK are placed in the ground each year).  

In an age of heightened consumer awareness of the connection between personal consumption and the waste it produces, the responsible disposal and recycling of an old mattress has become an understandable concern. Over the last twelve months, The Odd Mattress Company has been examining ways of offering a sustainable removal and recycling solution, which would ensure 100% of our customers’ old mattresses were diverted away from UK landfill. At the beginning of 2020, we partnered with an innovative industry leader to recycle all parts and materials of our customers old mattresses, creating what is known as a ‘circular economy’ for mattresses and their component parts. 

What will happen to my old mattress?

The Odd Mattress Company offers a full mattress removal and recycling service, with the installation of your new bespoke mattress. Our mattress removal and recycling service costs £50 for the first mattress or divan, with a charge of £25 per additional item.

Once collected, your old mattress will be delivered to the sorting and recycling centre, where mattresses are broken down by our skilled team into up to 19 different components, including their springs, fillings and material covering. These component parts are then sorted, sanitised and bailed, ready to be repurposed. The steel springs are melted down into steel ingots, and textiles are blended for use in all manner of different applications.

Some of the new uses for this recycled material include the filling for protective police vests, carpet underlays, and to combine with virgin materials for use in seat cushions and clothing. The Odd Mattress Company are delighted to be able to offer a sustainable solution, bringing materials which were previously destined for landfill back into the circular economy.

Collection and recycling can be organised with The Odd Mattress Company when placing your new mattress order, or up to 48 hours before the scheduled delivery time. All old mattresses and divan beds must be removed from the bedroom and located on the ground floor on the day collection for our drivers to take away. In order to arrange the collection and recycling of your old mattress through the Odd Mattress Company, simply get in touch with us today and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.