If you’re in the market for a new mattress, it’s probably time to recycle your old one. According to the Cascade Alliance, each year, about 20 million mattresses are dumped in North America’s landfills—that’s about 55,000 mattresses per day!—which isn’t so great for the environment.
One way to avoid adding on to that number? Donating your mattress. Here’s what you need to know about the mattress donation process.
Make sure your mattress is in good shape
You can donate a mattress, so long as it’s in good condition. So make sure your bed is free of bed bugs, stains, odors, and significant rips and tears because most charitable organizations won’t accept a damaged mattress.
If you’ve also decided to get rid of your old foundation or box spring, then you should also make sure that’s in good condition, with the fabric cover securely attached. After you’ve determined your mattress or foundation is in good condition, you can pick out which location to donate it to.
6 best places to donate your old mattress
Determined your old bed is ready for donation? Your next step is figuring out where to donate the mattress. Our top six places to donate an old mattress are:
- Furniture Bank
- Habitat for Humanity
- Thrift stores
- Donation Town
- Online marketplaces
Women’s shelters and homeless shelters
1. Furniture Bank
Charities are a great way to donate your mattress while helping someone in the market for a gently used bed.
Furniture Bank Network is a network of charitable and non-profit organizations that helps vulnerable individuals and families find gently used furniture, mattresses included, at little or no cost.
Visit Furniture Bank and search for an affiliated organization near you to donate your bed. Depending on your location, you can request a pickup of your old mattress.
2. Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is best known for building homes for low-income families, but they also operate donation centers called ReStores.
ReStore accepts new and gently used products, including mattresses. Visit the Habitat for Humanity site and use their search tool to find and contact a ReStore center in your area.
Many Habitat ReStore locations offer free pickup services, or you can drop off your mattress. Always call and confirm donation hours, which can differ from ReStore hours.
3. Thrift stores
Thrift stores aren’t just a great place to donate your gently used clothing—some stores will even take your old mattresses and resell them at a low price to a family in need. The most popular thrift store chains are Goodwill and The Salvation Army. You can also choose to donate to a local charity’s thrift store.
It’s important to keep in mind that not all thrift stores will accept donated mattresses and bedding. For example, Goodwill locations in New York and New Jersey don’t accept mattress donations.
Before you haul your mattress to your local thrift store, give them a call to confirm they accept mattress donations. (Here’s how to thrift furniture for your bedroom.)
4. Donation Town
Donation Town is a helpful resource that provides a national web-based directory of charities that offer mattress donation options. Use the handy search tool to find a charity near you. They may even be able to pick it up and haul it away for you.
5. Online marketplaces
If you’re unable to find a charitable organization near you that accepts mattress donations, you can always use a variety of online marketplaces to give away or sell your used mattress. This process is commonly referred to as freecycle.
The most common online marketplaces for mattress donations are:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Craigslist
- LetGo
- OfferUp
All you need to do is post your ad for a gently used mattress on these online marketplaces and local people can purchase them.
6. Women’s shelters and homeless shelters
Other great places to donate your gently used mattresses are women’s shelters and homeless shelters. These organizations are always looking for mattresses, no matter how much wear and tear they have.
Shelters will put your old mattress to good use, providing a warm place to sleep for someone in need. Most homeless shelters and women’s shelters operate locally. You can browse this national directory of shelters to find a great place to donate your gently used mattress.
Mattress too damaged? Here’s how to recycle it
If your mattress isn’t suitable for donations or reuse, you don’t have to worry about mattress disposal yet. Recycling is an excellent alternative option. There are numerous programs available to help with recycling your mattress in the United States.
Here are three recycling options to consider.
Bye-Bye Mattress
Created by the International Sleep Products Association, this organization will help you dispose of your old mattress in an eco-friendly way. They do charge a recycling fee, which is used to support recycling programs.
Bye, Bye Mattress operates primarily in Connecticut, California, and Rhode Island—but they also have a few locations in some other states. Use the links on the site to get more detailed information on how their recycling program works in your state.
City recycling programs
Many U.S. cities offer mattress recycling programs. A quick web search can provide you with a list of city, state, and local recycling centers.
The City of San Diego, Calif., for instance, has a recycling program that accepts used mattresses. Their goal is to reduce the number of illegally dumped mattresses and encourage mattress recycling instead.
Earth 911
Earth 911 has a massive web-based database with over 100,000 recycling facilities that accept old mattresses. Use this link to search for locations near you. If you’re lucky, the facility closest to you may pick up and haul away your old mattress.
The bottom line: No matter how you choose to get rid of your mattress, know that you can do so in a way that’s not only eco-friendly but also benefits someone else.
FAQs
How much will it cost me to recycle a mattress?
Most recycling programs charge a recycling fee to help fund their programs. Fees typically range between $10 to $16.
What donation centers accept used mattresses?
Donation centers that accept used mattresses include Furniture Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Donation Town, thrift stores, online marketplaces, women’s shelters, and homeless shelters.
Improve your sleep with these Saatva mattresses
Saatva Classic Innerspring Mattress
Our flagship luxury mattress is expertly engineered with coil-on-coil construction for durability, a layer of memory foam for enhanced back support, and a cushiony Euro pillow top for extra comfort.
Loom and Leaf Memory Foam Mattress
Premium memory foam, handcrafted in the U.S. with eco-friendly materials. Breathable organic cotton, cooling spinal gel, and layers of high-density support foam assure a cool, comfortable night's sleep.
Zenhaven Latex Mattress
Natural latex responds to every curve for pressure-free support and responsive comfort. Natural latex is supple, resilient, and durable, for the ultimate in elevated sleep. (It's naturally hypoallergenic too.)
Upgrade your bed with a brand-new Saatva mattress
If you’re ready to donate your old mattress, you’re probably also in the market for a new one. Saatva can provide you with a high-quality and comfortable mattress, perfect for your sleeping habits.
We have a wide selection of mattresses, from innerspring to memory foam mattresses. You can take our online mattress quiz to see which Saatva product is the best mattress for you.
Have bedding you’re ready to part with? Read our guides to repurposing old sheets and old pillows.
