Home / Guides / Disposing of things

How to dispose of a mattress

Disposing of things · 6 minute read

Mattresses are one of the most problematic items in Australian waste. They're bulky, they don't compact, they damage landfill machinery, and they're dumped illegally more often than almost anything else. They're also highly recyclable — a typical mattress is around 75 to 90 percent recoverable material.

Your options, roughly in order of preference

1. Retailer takeback

Most major bedding retailers will remove your old mattress when they deliver a new one, sometimes free and sometimes for a modest fee. If you're replacing rather than simply disposing, ask at the point of sale — it's the easiest path and the old mattress usually goes to a recycler.

2. Dedicated mattress recycling

Specialist recyclers operate in most Australian capitals. They strip the mattress into components: steel springs to scrap metal, foam into carpet underlay and gym matting, timber to mulch or particleboard, and textiles into industrial felt. Some accept drop-offs for a fee; some collect.

3. Council hard rubbish

Most councils accept mattresses in booked hard waste collections, though many limit the number per collection and some charge a surcharge. Check your council's rules before booking, and keep the mattress dry until collection — a rain-soaked mattress is often rejected because wet material can't be recycled.

4. Transfer station drop-off

You can take a mattress to a transfer station yourself. Nearly all charge a per-mattress fee, which reflects the genuine cost of processing it. Bring a way to secure it to your vehicle; loose mattresses on car roofs are both dangerous and illegal.

5. Removal service

Practical when you can't transport it, can't wait for a collection date, or have several to move at once. A reputable operator will take mattresses to a recycler rather than landfill.

What not to do

Don't leave it beside a charity bin or a public bin — that's illegal dumping and charities can't sell used mattresses regardless. Don't put it out weeks ahead of a collection date. Don't donate a mattress with any sign of bed bugs, staining or structural collapse; charities will refuse it and you'll have simply moved the problem.

Bed bugs

If the mattress has bed bugs, seal it in plastic before moving it and tell whoever handles it. Moving an infested mattress through a building uncovered spreads the problem to neighbours, and in shared buildings that becomes an expensive collective issue.