Where do Mattresses go?

A mattress is steel springs, polyurethane foam, felt and fabric, and a recycler strips it into those streams — the steel is worth real money, the foam becomes carpet underlay. Landfilling one is wasteful and awkward, since they spring back and take up void space, which is why several countries have moved to ban them from landfill. Most councils collect them for a fee, most household waste centres accept them, and some retailers take the old one on delivery. A wet mattress is much harder to process, so keep it dry until collection.

How to prepare it

1. Book a bulky collection or check whether the shop delivering the new one takes the old one.
2. Keep it dry and indoors until the day it goes; wet foam is often rejected.
3. Wrap it in a mattress bag if it has to sit outside.

What not to do

• Never fly-tip a mattress — it is the single most fly-tipped bulky item and it is prosecuted.
• Never put one out with bedbug contamination unwrapped.

Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

Other things that go to bulky or special collection

• Fridges and freezers A licensed handler has to remove the refrigerant first. Household waste centre or a council collection — never a scrap man with a van.
• Needles, syringes and lancets A rigid sharps bin, returned through the route your prescriber or council specifies. Never loose in any bin.
• Large appliances (washing machines, cookers, dishwashers) Household waste centre, a council bulky collection, or the retailer delivering the replacement.
• Carpet and underlay Household waste centre or a bulky collection. Cut into manageable rolls first.