Need to get rid of a mattress? Here’s the lowdown on how
Unlike a fine bottle of red, mattresses sadly don’t get better with age. Sure they last a decent run (our mattresses, for instance, come with a 10-year guarantee!), but at some point, it’s time to wave goodbye.
So, how do you get rid of a mattress that’s seen better days without just adding it to a landfill and ruining the environment? We’ve got you covered.
Plus, we’ll help you work out which Koala mattress is the right one for you because you’ll need something to sleep on!
One million mattresses end up in landfills every year. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Get rid of your old mattress in an environmentally friendly way.
Does Koala take your old mattress? Our partner, Soft Landings, does if you live in Sydney, Melbourne and a few other areas (for a fee).
How long does a mattress last?
No mattress lasts forever, and you’ll probably go through a few in your lifetime. So how long does a mattress last? That depends on a few things, including the quality of the mattress and how you’ve treated it. But in general, you’ll get 10ish years. If your mattress is sagging, stained and not giving you a restful night’s sleep, it’s probably time for a new one. After you’ve selected your new Koala mattress, you’ll need to dispose of your old one. But before you grab the occy straps, borrow your neighbour’s ute and scrape together the fee for the tip. STOP! We don’t want your mattress ending up in a landfill. The climate’s got enough to deal with right now. One million mattresses end up in landfills every year. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Get rid of your old mattress in an environmentally friendly way.How to get rid of old mattresses
Sure, it may feel easy to just pay the tip fee, dump the mattress and walk away. But at Koala, the environment matters to us. And we reckon it matters to you too. According to the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council, about 1.8 million mattresses are discarded in Australia every year. Planet Ark reports more than a million of those end up in a landfill. Mattresses take up a lot of space, are hard to bury, take ages to break down and pose a fire hazard. There must be a better way. Mattresses are made up of many different types of materials. And a lot of these can be stripped away and recycled or reused. So, you can help the environment by preventing your mattress from going to landfill and helping use less energy because recycling old materials uses less than making new ones.Does Koala take your old mattress?
At Koala, we’re big on sustainability. All of our Koala mattresses have been independently verified to meet various environmental standards. But we also want to make sure our customers’ old mattresses aren’t undoing all that good. This is why we teamed up with Soft Landings. This social enterprise keeps mattresses and ensembles out of landfills and recovers materials that can be recycled. The timber components can be mulched, scrap metal businesses reuse the springs, and the foam can be repurposed into carpet underlay. As a not-for-profit, Soft Landings’ revenue goes back into delivering this service. Not only does Soft Landings keep mattresses out of landfills, but it also provides meaningful work for people who really need it. And we reckon that’s awesome! Currently, they operate in quite a few cities and areas across Australia (but not everywhere just yet). Find out if Soft Landings can take away your old mattress for a reasonable price. For everyone else? Read our tips below.Other ways to get rid of old mattresses:
🛏️ Contact your council to see if it offers a mattress recycling service. Many do! 🛏️ Talk to local charities to see if they may take it. Some charities have a policy of not taking mattresses. Still, if but if yours is in good nick (without stains, sagging or tears), a charity could give it to a home or family that needs it. 🛏️ Google ‘mattress recyclers near me’ to find recycling companies that help get rid of old mattresses in your area. 🛏️ Try out your local community board, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. There will be people out there looking to take it off your hands or who can tell you how to dispose of an old mattress for free (or for a small fee).What happens to returned Koala mattresses?
When Koala receives a product back from a customer, those salvageable are thoroughly cleaned before we decide whether to donate to charity, send it to Soft Landings or pop it in Koala Second Home. That’s our furniture recovery and factory outlet in Campbelltown, where you can grab a bargain — discounted new and near-new Koala goodies. If the products aren’t ideal for any of those options, we recycle them with Dunlop so they can have a new life as tyres. Sweet! Does Koala take your old mattress? Our partner, Soft Landings, does if you live in Sydney, Melbourne and a few other areas (for a fee).