Planning to buy a new mattress? For that, you have to dispose of your old one first! All these include heavy expenses, first for buying a new one and second for getting rid of the old one. But what if you can dispose it off at a minimal cost, or completely for free? Well, look at this blog to find out the cheapest and responsible methods for mattress disposal in London.
When it comes to mattress removal, a wide range of options are available. While some of them are expensive, illegal or harmful for the environment, some others are affordable and eco-friendly. Here are some simple ways to get rid of your old and unwanted mattress.
Pay an agency to collect your old mattress
You can approach the company; you are buying your new mattress from, to collect your old mattress. It is usually convenient for the same retailer to take away your unwanted old mattress while delivering the new one. In fact, most of the companies in London offer this policy of collecting your unwanted bulky mattress while delivering their product at your location.
Remember to check the background and working strategies of the company you choose. You must make sure that your chosen retailer recycles or responsibly disposes your old mattress. But before you decide on this option, check the amount charged by your local council to collect your bulky old mattress. This is because such the retailers of new mattresses usually charge high rates for old mattress collection.
Contact your local council for your bulky, old mattress collection
Most areas have local councils and agencies to collect and dispose of your bulky household or commercial wastes, including old beds and mattresses. However, this is quite an expensive option and they do not guarantee any responsible or environment-friendly disposal of your waste. In fact, it has been found that several local authorities simply dump of those waste mattresses in landfills instead of recycling.
If you are residing in the UK, look up on the government website to find out the charges of those local councils for bulky waste disposal. These agencies usually charge quite expensive fees. If you can arrange the mattress removal right from your home, it would be more convenient on your part. For this, you have to discuss every term and condition very carefully before hiring the council’s service. The service charges also depend on the volume and amount of items they are collecting. For example, if you want to get rid of your bed frame along with mattress, they will be counted as two items. The price also depends on the location from where the waste collection team is picking up your unwanted items.
Take the unwanted mattress to the local tip
Another cheapest but illegal option to dispose of mattress is by simply carrying it and dumping into the local tip. But you need a big vehicle for this such that your bulky mattress fits into it. You will require this vehicle to carry your heavy old mattress up to the local tip. If you have your personal car, you might also roll up the mattress and tie it with a rope or simply cut it into small pieces to make it fit into the car.
However, this is not a recommended practice as there are chances that your mattress will ultimately end up in land filling sites anyway. If you want to avoid such irresponsible practice, you need to make some extra effort to carry your mattress to a recycling facility, or hire some disposal company which collects and responsibly disposes of mattress.
Donate the mattress to charity
If your mattress is old but in a proper condition without any wear or tear, you can donate it to someone or directly to a charity. This is a noble act at the same time where you are helping someone needy, and also ensuring it does not cause any hazard to the environment or end up in landfill. There are several charities in and around London which accept mattress donation. So you can be rest assured if you want to support the people in need, you are contributing to the right place.
Contact the charity directly if you want to donate your old mattress. These organisations collect your unwanted mattresses free of cost. But before that you have to send them evidence via images of the current condition of your mattress. Once they acknowledge that your mattress is in an acceptable condition, they will take the donation. This requires your mattress to be clean, fit for use, and have the intact fire label.
Other ways you can dispose of mattress
You might contact agencies who connect you to people looking for second-hand mattresses. You can also go for large sized wait and load skip hires to dispose of your bulky mattress. However, this can add to landfills as skip hires do not guarantee any eco-friendly disposal of waste.
What not to do with your old mattress?
You should never burn your old and unwanted mattress just to get rid of it. Remember that a mattress fire is not easy to control. In fact, the fumes released might also cause damage to your indoor space as well as the environment.
You must also not dump your unwanted waste mattress in the skip of some other person. You should also not leave the mattress by the side of the road or in some local place. Remember that fly tipping is against the legal regulations and might also include penalties, besides causing harm to the environment.
Recycling mattresses
When it comes to disposing mattresses, recycling is one of the most effective options; both financially and environmentally. However, it is quite a labour intensive process. This is why the number of recycling of wastes facilities is on an increase in and across the UK. This includes breaking down the mattress into recyclable components. While the springs are melted down to make new metal products, the synthetic layers like foam are sent to energy conversion facilities.
What is the right time to change your mattress?
Your mattress gradually run out of its life over the years as it outlives its purpose. Even if you feel comfortable in your mattress, it becomes less hygienic and supportive as time passes. If you cannot remember how long you have been using the mattress, it is probably time to get a new one.
It is recommended that every person should get a new mattress at a gap of about every 8 to 10 years, as it has been subjected to over 20,000 hours of usage. It almost means around 2,555 nights on the mattress when adults shed their dead skin cells and body fluids every year. It is better to replace your mattress with a new one after every 8 years on an average.
Summary
What you need to remember is it is not at all good to use the same mattress for more than a decade; otherwise they tend to get soft and saggy. However, you must also be very careful and conscious while disposing of your old, unwanted mattress along with ensuring it does not cause severe environmental hazards. When it comes to mattress disposal in London, we are undoubtedly a great option for you. Contact Waste Removal London today to book your service of mattress disposal.
