skip hire - mattresses

Disposing of Mattresses with Staffordshire Skip Hire

While it feels like one of the great cliches of skip hire, that a mattress always ends up sticking out of the top of a skip, this can lead to major problems.

The majority of skip hire providers will charge extra to dispose of mattresses or simply refuse to collect them at all; especially if they exceed the fill level of the skip as this can be dangerous for transport.

So if your mattress has seen better days, what can you do to dispose of it safely? Here is a handy guide from Staffordshire Skip Hire to answer all of your questions in one place.

5 Options for Mattress Disposal

Collection from Skip Hire Provider – If you have hired a skip for a project such as a bedroom refurbishment, it is worth checking with your provider to ask if they could collect your mattress seperately.
It is not unusual for skip companies to arrange individual collection for awkward items such as fridge-freezers or mattresses. An extra fee will need to be paid in most cases, which can be factored into your overall budget for a bedroom redecoration.

Council Collection – Different local authorities have different rules regarding the collection of bulky items such as mattresses for removal and disposal. Staffordshire Skip Hire would recommend checking with your local council regarding these type of fees.
It is not as straightforward as counting a complete bed with the mattress as one item; as this could be classed as four, including the mattress the frame, headboard and the slats.

Give it Away – Your old mattress could be of use for someone else, especially if you are replacing it after the recommended seven years or sooner. There are people out there who sleep on mattresses that are decades old. If your mattress remains in decent condition, you could ask family or friends or even local Facebook groups and get someone to take it off your hands for free.

Take it to the Tip – Driving your old mattress to the tip is tricky but some people end up doing this as they do not have any alternatives. It is usually free to dispose of a mattress at the tip, but this takes time to get there plus extra effort finding a suitable van or another vehicle.

Recycling – Proper mattress recycling is very effective but unfortunately quite rare. A good recycling centre will extract its metal springs while recycling the padding for new uses such as carpet underlay.
Up to 95% of the mass of a mattress is recyclable but many are fly-tipped or in landfill sites. If you want to make sure yours does not end up like them, find a mattress recycler or speak to Staffordshire Skip Hire about safe disposal.

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you have any questions about disposing of mattresses, please do not hesitate to contact Staffordshire Skip Hire today.

We are Staffordshire’s leading provider of skip for hire, plus we also offer digger and grab lorry hire.