Here at ItsEcoTime, we’re all about getting the most out of the things we buy and then recycling them as much as possible. This holds true for just about anything in your home. One particularly difficult item for most people is the mattress. Over time (about 10 years), most mattresses tend to start falling apart, and this is true whether you have a high-end or a cheap mattress. And when it comes time to buy a new one, most of us are left figuring out what to do with the old one.
A mattress is highly recyclable, and depending on where it goes for processing, up to 90% of it can be recovered and re-used. Cotton and cloth are used in textiles. The wood from the frame can be chipped, and even the springs and foam in the mattress are easily recycled. The trick is knowing where to send it. If you’re lucky, there may be a recycling center near you. If not, you can ask around at most mattress retailers on ways that your old mattress can be refurbished and donated or recycled.
Nowadays, when you buy a mattress, the store that sells it to you offers to pick your old one up for free. It’s hard to say no to this kind of convenience, but it’s worth asking about what happens to the mattress after they cart it away. Do they send it to a recycling plant, or does it just get tossed into a landfill?
In Central Florida, bring your old mattress to The Mustard Seed to be recycled. They are a non-profit using mattress recycling as a social enterprise, earning money from recycling to help families with furniture and clothing. They also teach job skills to those employed with deconstructing mattresses.