Bed and Mattress Removal & Disposal Service: Comprehensive Guide

Table of contents:

• Bed and mattress removal & disposal services UK
• Bed and mattress removal service near you
• Gallery of beds and mattresses we have removed
• Bed and mattress removal & disposal: questions people commonly ask

Bed and mattress removal & disposal services UK

Get a good night’s sleep with the professional rubbish clearance services available at Rubbish.com. Our member partners work hard to de-clutter homes across the UK of unwanted old beds and mattresses as well as all related types of rubbish that might be cluttering up your bedroom.

This includes all manner of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, bedding and linens, duvets, pillows, cushions, headboards, footboards, children’s beds, bunk beds, and more. Whether you’ve got an old waterbed, a memory foam mattress, or your old mattress has been soiled or has attracted bedbugs, getting rid of it immediately is crucial.

Bed and mattress removal service near you

Whether you’ve had one too many little accidents on your mattress and it’s excessively soiled or it simply isn’t providing you with a good night’s sleep any longer and you need to have it replaced, getting rid of a mattress in the UK shouldn’t be a complex affair.

Get rid of your old, unwanted mattress and bed by choosing a local rubbish removal company near you through Rubbish.com today.

Gallery of beds and mattresses we have removed

Bed and mattress removal & disposal: questions people commonly ask

How can I dispose of a mattress for free in the UK?

Some ways to dispose of a mattress for free in the UK include donating it to charities such as the British Red Cross, Emmaus, The Mustard Tree, and many others, giving it away to a friend or family member, or selling it online.

Most charities require that donated mattresses be in reasonably good condition, i.e. not excessively soiled.

Can I take a mattress to the tip in the UK?

Many council tips and recycling centres in the UK do not accept mattresses, however most councils can collect unwanted mattresses through bulky waste collection. Councils typically charge around £10 to £60 or more for this service, although a handful of councils offer this service for free. Collection can take 1-2 weeks or even longer, so it is often more convenient to use a private man and van rubbish removal service instead.

Do recycling centres take mattresses in the UK?

Some Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in the UK will accept mattresses and those that do may do so for free, although it is always recommended to consult with your local council about mattress disposal.

Furthermore, it is essential to transport the mattress to the HWRC safely, which often requires hiring a van and possibly having to apply for a vehicle voucher in order to haul the mattress.

Do local councils take mattresses?

Many local councils in the UK take mattresses through their bulky waste collection service. Items such as mattresses, bed frames, headboards, and other bulky bedroom waste can be collected by some local councils for free, but most will charge anywhere from around £10 to £60 or more for this service and there may be a 1-2 week wait (or longer) for the council to collect your bulky waste.

How much does it cost to dispose of a mattress in the UK?

Some local councils and recycling centres in the UK will accept mattresses for free or they may require you to pay for bulky waste collection services. Our man and van rubbish removal partners estimate the cost of mattress disposal as follows:

• Single mattress: £25-£30
• Double mattress: £50-£60
• King size mattress: £100

Why are mattresses hard to get rid of?

Mattresses can be challenging to dispose of because they tend to be bulky and difficult to transport, they occupy substantial space in a landfill, contain materials that can be challenging to recycle, pose risks to waste-to-energy incinerator components, and because millions of mattresses are disposed of in the UK every year whilst few are recycled.

Approximately eight million mattresses are disposed of every year in the UK and nearly a quarter are recycled, even though many non-recycled mattresses could have been recycled, e.g. their fire safety labels were removed.

Can you put a mattress in a skip?

No. Most skip hire companies explicitly prohibit the disposal of mattresses in the skip. Nevertheless, some individuals may attempt to dispose of an old mattress in someone else’s skip. Unfortunately, mattresses are amongst the most common items to be fly-tipped in the UK.

Do not place your mattress into a skip bin and instead seek alternatives such as donation, giving it away for free, or hiring a man and van rubbish removal team to dispose of the mattress in an eco-friendly manner.

How do you dispose of a large mattress?

Large mattresses can be more challenging to dispose of than smaller mattresses because their size makes them difficult to safely transport to the council tip or local recycling centre.

You can transport a large mattress yourself with a large vehicle or you may wish to consider cutting the mattress into smaller pieces. Alternatively, council bulky waste collection services or private rubbish removal companies can remove the mattress and dispose of it properly.

How much does it cost to get rid of a double mattress in the UK?

The cost of disposing of a double mattress in the UK can vary from approximately £50 to £60, according to our licensed waste carrier member partners. Generally, the cost of disposing of a double mattress with a man and van rubbish removal company is as follows:

• Small double (aka Queen or Three-Quarter) mattress: £50
• Double: £60

How many mattresses go to landfill in the UK?

It is estimated that over eight million mattresses are sent to landfills in the UK every year. Of those millions of mattresses, around 16% to 24% are recycled, or approximately 1.28 to 1.92 million. A large proportion of all mattresses sent to landfills in the UK could have been recycled otherwise but cannot be due to a missing fire label, for example.

Do mattresses really go bad?

Mattresses lose their firmness and become soiled over time and therefore need to be replaced. Consequently, most mattress manufacturers recommend replacing a pocket sprung mattress every 8-10 years or sooner if signs of deterioration are significant; memory foam mattresses may last up to 15 years in general.

Why does my mattress sag so fast?

Mattresses tend to sag over time due to sleeping habits, consistent pressure in the same area(s) of the mattress, and the overall quality of the mattress. A mattress might support your body weight for around 2,900 hours per year and nearly 30,000 hours over its lifespan.

This tends to cause sagging in the middle or slightly off the middle of the mattress where you tend to sleep, which in turn can degrade the structural integrity of the mattress more in those areas than elsewhere.
Do mattresses deteriorate over time?

Yes. Mattresses generally lose their firmness, show signs of sagging, and lose some of their structural integrity over the course of approximately 7-10 years for pocket sprung mattresses and 15 years for memory foam mattresses.

Some factors that can accelerate the deterioration of your mattress include your body weight and where you tend to sleep, how long you typically sleep, the quality of the mattress materials and components, and how well (or poorly) the mattress is cared for.

Why do skip companies not take mattresses?

Skip hire companies in the UK generally do not take mattresses and those that do will most certainly add a surcharge for any mattresses due to the challenges involved with transporting and disposing of mattresses.

Mattresses have a tendency to protrude beyond the skip bin’s fill line and may require additional care during transport. Furthermore, mattresses can be complex to recycle, which in turn leads to additional labour required which must be passed onto the customer who hired the skip.

Can you donate a mattress in the UK?

Yes. Most charities in the UK will accept mattress donations so long as the mattress is in reasonably good condition and isn’t excessively soiled. For hygienic reasons, soiled mattresses should never be donated to charities.

Some charities that accept mattresses include The Mustard Tree, the British Red Cross, The British Heart Foundation, and Emmaus. In addition to giving your unwanted mattress to families in need, these charities will also typically collect the mattress for free from your property.

Can bed frames be scrapped?

Bed frames made of recyclable materials such as metal or timber can be recycled or sold as scrap. High-quality timber bedframes could be upcycled into beautiful furniture or recycled into useful products such as wood mulching chips, for example. Metal bedframes can be recycled. Both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals are often accepted by most scrap metal dealers.

How do I dispose of a free bed frame?

If you’ve received a bed frame for free as an heirloom or from a friend or family member and no longer need it, you may be able to sell it, donate it to charity, or have it collected by a rubbish removal company near you.

Bed frames made of metal or wood can often be fully or partially recycled and many rubbish removal companies can reduce needless landfill waste by selling scrap metals and useable timber, for example.

What do I do with an old bed frame?

Old bed frames can be sold or given away for free, depending on the bed frame’s condition. If you intend to dispose of the bed frame yourself, you may be able to sell recyclable timber and metals for cash or you could reuse the timber and upcycle it into artwork or new furniture for your home, for example.

For unwanted old bed frames, consider hiring a local man and van rubbish clearance team to collect and dispose of the bed frame quickly and in an environmentally friendly manner.

How do you get rid of a broken bed?

If your bed is broken and you no longer wish to keep it, you can arrange for bulky waste collection services from your local council. You could also sell or give away any scrap metal or timber. Depending on the damage, you could also try to fix the bed frame yourself.

Local rubbish removal companies can also collect and dispose of your unwanted bed and mattress at affordable rates.

What is the easiest way to cut up a mattress?

The easiest way to cut up a mattress is to use the correct tools and techniques to ensure that you don’t injure yourself, since cutting a mattress can be laborious and possibly dangerous. Start by placing the mattress in a spacious area such as a garage or outside on a patio, then using box cutters or scissors cut long strips and/or curved patterns in sections that are harder to cut. Remove any staples or nails with pliers and continue cutting the piping cord and padding. Place all waste aside for collection or for transport to the council tip or recycling centre.