Can you put a mattress in a skip?

Mattresses are one of those bulky waste items which can be difficult to dispose of if you don’t have a way to sell, recycle, or donate them. If you’ve hired a skip because you’re redecorating or renovating, most companies will take the mattress and bed frame away for a small fee. That said, if you’re unsure, it’s worth checking as not all skip hire companies are willing to take them.

We’re happy to take the mattress for you at Norris if you’re happy to pay a small additional disposal fee. You can throw the bed frame into the skip with the rest of the waste too.

We’ll go over all the questions and concerns you may have in this article so you can decide if throwing your old mattress in a skip is the best choice for you.

Can I put any mattress in a skip?

Some skip hire companies won’t dispose of your old mattress. This has led to an increase in people dumping mattresses illegally, or flytipping, instead of opting for a legal and more environmentally friendly solution.

But if you’ve got a company that will get rid of your old bed or mattress, then they’ll most likely be happy to take any type along with the rest of your waste, but it’s worth checking first.

Why do I have to pay extra to throw a mattress in a skip?

The biggest problem with mattresses is the different materials. Unlike most other household waste, mattresses are made up of many different layers and materials. You’ll typically find padding, foam, fabrics, and springs in a mattress. We need to remove the springs and process them as a separate waste stream, and it’s this process that incurs the additional cost.

If this process isn’t followed then a mattress is typically disposed of in a landfill site, where it can take years to break down.

Can I dispose of my old bed with the mattress?

Whether the bed itself is wood or metal, it can typically be dismantled and thrown in a skip along with the rest of your household waste. It is only the mattress itself that requires extra handling and so attracts an additional charge.

Can I dispose of a sofabed in a skip?

Sofabeds can usually be disposed of in a skip. However, it is worth remembering that whole sofabeds are very large and will take up a lot of space, so if you can, it is advisable to break the sofabed down. You’ll then be able to fit more waste in the skip, and it will stay below the fill line too.

Do I need to cut up the mattress?

There is no need to cut up a mattress that is going to be collected by us. The mattress will need to be processed and stripped down once it reaches our plant to enable the individual components to be recycled where possible. Plus, it’s easier to move in one piece!

How is my mattress disposed of?

When a mattress is no longer wanted, it generally goes to one of two places: the landfill or the recycling centre.

Many people think that a mattress simply goes to the landfill and takes up space. However, this is not the case. A mattress must be broken down in order to be disposed of in a landfill. This takes time and money.

Scotland alone disposes of an estimated 600,000 mattresses every year. This doesn’t even include the rest of the UK, so it’s really important to find a company that’s able to recycle as much of the mattress as possible by breaking it down into it’s component parts.

What parts of a mattress can be recycled?

Depending on the manufacturer and quality of your mattress, you could potentially recycle all of it.

A mattress is usually composed of several materials, including metal springs, cotton batting, foam, and fabric. The recycling process begins by removing all the materials from the mattress so they can be processed separately.

Metal springs

Metal springs are processed along with other metal waste at a metal recycling plant. The springs are melted down and cast back into new metal products.

Foam

Many modern mattresses have a layer of either latex or foam padding. These materials can either be sent to a waste-to-energy power plant or cleaned up to be recycled into carpet underlay.

Filling

The majority of mattresses (aside from memory foam) will have wadding as a filling. This wadding can be reused in the fibre industry as a replacement for typical virgin materials in products such as cushions.

Low-grade fabric

Mattress covers are usually very difficult to recycle. Not only is this because of the type of material, but it is also due to the contaminants that are commonly found in mattress covers. There’s also the added complication that there aren’t many end markets where these covers are legally compliant.

As a result, these fabrics are more commonly sent to energy-from-waste facilities as an alternative to fossil fuels.

If you book your skip through Norris, we can take your old mattresses off your hands for a small additional fee. When you work with us, not only will you benefit from our excellent customer service, but you can rest assured that as much of your mattress as possible will be recycled or reused.