Dispose of the mattress – it’s quick and cheap

Disposing of the old mattress made easy: all options, costs & the perfect time planning explained in detail. Plus tips on how to save a few euros.

Admittedly, disposing of a mattress is not a favorite Saturday afternoon activity. However, space must be created for new things in the foreseeable future.

Just where to put the old mattress? There are several ways you can get rid of your old mattress. Together with you, I would like to determine step by step in this article …

  • What trouble you face if you dispose of your mattress incorrectly or wildly.
  • Which method is the fastest or cheapest for you.
  • How you can maybe get away with it at no cost.
  • How the old mattress is best stored and prepared for disposal.
  • How to find the best mattress for your needs.

As a small introduction to the article, I would like to clarify the following two questions, which you may sooner or later come up with:

  • Do I have to dispose of my mattress at all?
  • Isn’t there any easier way of doing this?

I have to answer the first question with a very clear YES! answer. If your mattress is no longer good for anything and is ripe for the garbage, you have no choice. But maybe there is even a grateful buyer?

When should I dispose of or replace my mattress?

A good, high quality mattress will last about 10 years or more. If you save on quality and price, the life cycle of a mattress is much shorter with 5 – 10 years.

At some point even the most comfortable mattress is worn out and has to be replaced. No wonder, since we sleep around 8 hours a night on the same mattress for years. This does not leave our sleeping place without a trace.

So it is important to buy a new mattress at some point and dispose of the old one.

It can’t hurt to plan this process for you as simply and conveniently as possible. With a few minutes to prepare for research and phone calls, you can get rid of the old mattress faster than you might have thought before.

Dispose of the mattress? A stupid idea!

The Germans and their rules, rules and regulations. Even the professional disposal of your old mattress is thoroughly regulated and falls under the so-called recycling and waste law. There it is written that a mattress …

  • … because of its bulkiness no longer fits into the usual garbage disposal bins …

… and therefore has to be disposed of separately as bulky waste. Due to the materials used, it is not household waste and its size does not fit into a garbage can.

Important: If you do not stick to the proper disposal of your old mattress, or if you are caught throwing it away, you face trouble in the form of a fine.

Depending on the federal state, this administrative offense will be different. This can vary from a minimum of 37.50 euros in Brandenburg to a maximum of 250 euros in Hamburg, depending on the discretion of the law enforcement officers.

But that would only be the best cases. According to §326 Unauthorized Handling of Waste of the StGb, illegal waste disposal may be a criminal offense.

So all in all a stupid idea to get in additional trouble because of an old mattress.

And besides: Why dump your mattress in the great outdoors when there are so many simple alternatives?

You are also doing mother nature a disservice ecologically if you disposed of the mattress in nature in a wild landfill. You would pollute the environment and interrupt the recycling cycle.

Info: It is also not enough to stick a ‘To give away’ sign on the mattress and move it to the next street corner. That amounts to a wild disposal, even if you perhaps meant well.

Better to go the proper way and dispose of your old mattress properly. It’s a lot easier and less complicated than you think.

How do I properly dispose of an old mattress?

If the mattress is too battered and no longer usable, then you have to dispose of it for better or for worse. There are several customers and options for this that are recommended.

You can:

  • have the mattress picked up.
  • take away the mattress yourself.
  • get rid of the old mattress when buying a new one.
  • find a new user for your mattress.

From your perspective, I would like to introduce you to the fastest and most convenient methods separately.

The most convenient method: have your mattress picked up

Here you have to do the least personally, except for some information and a little patience. The most convenient way for you is to have the mattress picked up.

  • You can either have this arranged by the municipal waste disposal company or
  • You commission a private waste disposal company with this task.

I would like to explain the advantages and disadvantages of both customers to you and finally introduce a third option.

Municipal waste disposal companies: Cheaper, but also less often

Earlier I briefly quoted the Recycling Management Act. Fortunately, this doesn’t just mean obligations for us citizens.

Among other things, this law also defines the state’s obligations in relation to recycling and waste disposal for cities.

Now you will probably have a lot of questions:

  • How much does it cost to have bulky waste picked up?
  • When and how often is bulky waste picked up?
  • What can I register and what is prohibited?
  • What do I have to consider before disposal?

However, I cannot give you the exact answers to this. Because all of these issues relating to waste disposal cycles are regulated individually in your city or municipality.

This is partly regulated in such detail that different costs, pick-up times and conditions apply in your district than in the neighboring district.

Tip: You should therefore ask the city administration to rule out errors and misinformation.

There are many different sources of information available for you to obtain exact details about how to dispose of bulky waste:

  • On waste calendars that are distributed to all households once a year
  • On your local municipality’s website
  • Very modern in an app for your mobile phone

I recommend that you contact the city council by telephone so that you can get all the information first hand. You can ask your individual questions and register your needs at the same time.

 

Basically, however, it can be said that bulky waste is picked up every 4 – 6 weeks. In the worst case, it can take a long time to get rid of your old mattress in this way.

Depending on how well the municipal coffers in your community are filled and how professionally the disposal of bulky waste is organized, you can even get away for free and can choose between many collection dates per year.

This is of course the ideal case if you don’t have to pay anything to dispose of your mattress and other bulky household items. Some municipalities also offer certain quotas or quantities per year free of charge.

The municipal waste disposal companies always want to know exactly what and how much of it you are registering. This will calculate the exact cubic meters, capacities in the vehicles and costs for you and the general public.

  • Truthful information about the quantity and the exact items are not only mandatory in this case.
  • What has not been registered for collection at the end, remains in the worst case on your property.

Not all waste disposal companies have the same tolerance level when it comes to bulky waste.

Place bulky waste correctly on the roadside

Finally, I would recommend that you stow everything that you declare as bulky waste as securely as possible against wind and weather and in a clearly visible place on the adjacent street property.

 

A mattress is soft, elastic and cannot injure or damage anyone? Never say Never!

Anything can happen up to collection …

  • At least you shouldn’t leave your own bulky waste too carelessly on public or private property.
  • Even until the bulky waste is picked up, the legal question of ownership will be dealt with individually in your municipality.

However, private waste disposal companies are much less complicated. At this point at the latest, however, costs arise.

Private waste disposal companies: more expensive, but quick and efficient

The private waste disposal companies naturally see waste disposal as their business and ask you to pay for their services.

On the other hand, the whole process can be carried out much faster and more efficiently than with the municipal waste disposal companies.

 

For these companies, the process must also be economically viable.

  • It is not uncommon for there to be a certain minimum amount of cubic meters of bulky waste that you have to consider when registering.
  • Otherwise the private waste disposal companies won’t even drive to you.

A mattress alone is probably not enough to make the costs worthwhile for you and the company.

Here, too, the costs vary greatly per provider. Compare the costs and conditions of collection with a few private waste disposal companies. You may be able to save a few euros here.

Some of the private waste disposal companies even offer the service that they come into your own four walls to pick up the bulky waste.

This is of course the most convenient of all solutions. But at the same time it also has the disadvantage that you then have to set a fixed pick-up date and absolutely have to be at home.

But there is one more particularly sophisticated option that I would like to describe to you.

Bonus tip for opportunists

The following tip is completely free, unfortunately does not always work and is dedicated to all savers and free beer faces.

 

You now know that the urban garbage disposal trucks drive through your district at regular intervals. Bulky waste is picked up somewhere in your neighborhood at least once a month.

Therefore: Be attentive and look around to see if there is another pile of bulky waste in your area. Take advantage of the hour and add your own mattress.

Important: In order to keep the neighborly peace, it is imperative that you ask your neighbors for permission beforehand. At least that would be the honest way it should be.

Depending on how well a neighborhood is functioning and intact, your neighbor will tolerate your mattress in addition to their own pile of bulky waste. But if you unload your mattress there without being asked, this can cause all sorts of problems:

  • Ownership relationships are unclear in the event of damage: When does the mattress belong to whom?
  • The legal question with the wild disposal moves here in a gray area.
  • Theoretically, there are also higher costs for the applicant due to more cubic meters of bulky waste.
  • It could encourage a lot of other people to dump more junk there.

Most of the time, however, the municipal waste disposal companies are prepared for such scenarios and calculate additional capacities in their loading volume for the trucks.

But that doesn’t mean, conversely, that additional amounts will always go through without hesitation.

  • Sometimes what was not registered beforehand actually remains on the property afterwards.
  • Then you no longer have the trouble, but your neighbor. Quite an uncool story if you were to choke your neighbor without asking!

You can also take things into your own hands, register the bulky waste yourself in your own name and have it picked up.

But it is even faster if you want to move the mattress away yourself.

Fastest method: take away your mattress yourself

Let’s assume that the above processes with the waste disposal companies take too long for you in principle. You may also want to get rid of that old mattress as soon as possible. Or you can drive the mattress to the disposal point yourself in a vehicle.

Then the following customers would be recommended.

Recycling centers (also called recycling centers)

Some mattresses can be (partially) recycled. The valuable materials obtained from this can be reused in the construction industry as insulation and soundproofing.

 

  • You can easily hand in your old mattress in so-called recycling centers.
  • As with the collection by the municipal waste disposal companies, all conditions and costs are regulated individually for each municipality.

However, normal household and relatively small amounts are usually free. You can dump your bulky waste there flexibly all year round.

In my opinion, the flexible opening times are the greatest advantage of the recycling centers.

Important: bring your identity card with you. As a rule, you must provide evidence of your residential address and membership of the respective community for the free or discounted service of the recycling centers. Because everyone else could come there!

Landfills

Sometimes there are no more recyclables in the old mattresses to recycle. Then the last stop for your old mattress is often the landfill.

 

  • Here, too, the principle with the usual household quantities applies.
  • This is where the mattress is dumped, disposed of or burned.

What’s gone is gone!

In some cases, however, there is a third option when purchasing a new mattress.

Disposal of mattresses by buying a new one: Turning old into new

Many furniture stores and mattress shops offer disposal of old mattresses. The prerequisite for this, however, is that you buy furniture or a new mattress from the respective dealer.

Please note that the disposal offered by the dealer is not always free of charge. Ikea, for example, offers this service for 14 euros .

You would then swap old for new at the local dealer. Provided the dealer plays along.

It will be best if you talk to the respective local branch of Dänisches Bettenlager, Möbel Höffner, etc. about the disposal of your old mattress by telephone and ask.

Tips for handing in at the dealer

Don’t expect the retailer to unconditionally accept the mattress for disposal.

 

It would be very uncomfortable if you drove there with the mattress in the trunk and for whatever reason your project failed at the last second.

It is better to avoid these situations and the discussions that may result from them. Do not present the dealer with a fait accompli. Not all branches are as flexible as you might think beforehand.

Instead, ask in good time about the costs and conditions for handing over and disposing of the old mattress. When you can unload the mattress from whom and where at what time.

Tips for collection by the dealer

It is not uncommon for the new furniture or the new bed with the mattress to be handled by a supplier. These external freight forwarders are not part of the dealer’s staff and are employed.

 

Should the same carrier pick up your old mattress?

I advise you to call the dealer and, preferably, the forwarding agent to confirm the disposal of the old mattress. In this way you ensure that the collection goes as problem-free and smoothly as possible.

Double control is better. If this information about the collection is somehow lost between the carrier and the seller, you end up looking down the drain.

It would be very annoying if there were misunderstandings in the end and you were left sitting on the old mattress.

Can your mattress be used in other ways? There are then several ways in which you can get rid of the mattress.

Disposal alternatives: How you can still do something good with your old mattress

If your old mattress is not battered enough, someone else may use it. You are doing something good and helping other people.

I will introduce you to a few ways in which you can get rid of the mattress instead of disposing of it. However, you should ask yourself beforehand whether the quality of the mattress is really good enough.

  • So assess the condition of the mattress as realistic and describe it as honestly as possible.
  • Burn holes, sweat stains and other defects are not only unsavory, they also deter all potential buyers.
  • Your mattress should not have any defects, at least visually and hygienically.

Important in all of the following cases: Make the hygienic condition clear with good photos in order to attract more interested parties.

Donate mattress

Do you have generous intentions and want to donate your mattress? There is almost always a train station mission, a homeless shelter or other charitable institution in every larger city or small community that gladly accepts donations in kind, such as mattresses.

 

With this noble decision you are helping needy people in need. And even if the requested donation organization currently has no need, then you have at least tried to do something good.

  • The quickest way to find out what you need is by phone at the local branch.
  • Many of the charity organizations’ websites or mobile apps also provide additional information on mattresses and other donations in kind.

Potential downside: Some of these organizations only come by to pick you up if you have large donations or perishable goods.

In the worst case, these organizations expect you to drop off your old mattress there.

Give away a mattress

If for whatever reason you do not want to or cannot donate the mattress, you can also give it away.

Family, friends and acquaintances are not interested or need? Maybe it will work in other ways. I would like to recommend the following options to you:

  • eBay classifieds : Germany’s most popular online marketplace. Many users from the immediate vicinity frequent this place. They would provoke a lot of unqualified inquiries.
  • Other online portals : There are also many alternatives to the eBay classifieds and local online marketplaces. It is better to commit to one channel or you will be overwhelmed by requests.
  • Newspaper advertisements : Placing your text in the local newspaper is usually free and you are targeting people who live in your area.
  • Search / Offer pinboard : Oldschool! But still the best way to get a lot of qualified inquiries. Anyone who tears off a piece of paper with your telephone number on it actually has a serious interest / need. Best to hang up in supermarkets and department stores.

Important: clearly mark your ad as ONLY FOR SELF-COLLECTORS. If you forget this information in the advertisement text, you will provoke a flood of inquiries as to whether you would not deliver the mattress free of charge.

Make this process as simple and straightforward as possible for you and let the prospect come to you.

Sell ​​mattress

Your old mattress was expensive, is it still too new and you still suspect a certain resale value behind it? Then you can also try to sell the mattress.

 

Basically, you can use all of the methods mentioned above, where you would also give away the mattress online or offline.

Do you want to earn more money with your old mattress or should you dispose of it as soon as possible? The price is the critical factor here. The higher you set it, the fewer inquiries you will receive.

You should also direct your sales text ONLY TO SELF-COLLECTORS.

The cases mentioned above are only possible if the mattress is still good. To do this, it has to be in good shape so that you can offer it to other people.

The following chapter will help you with a few tips on how to keep your old mattress in good condition until your prospect is picked up.

Tips on storage and preparation through to disposal or collection

Not all schedules go as planned. It can take a few days or weeks before the municipal waste disposal company arrives or a customer is finally found to be picked up.

I would therefore like to give you a few tips up to the disposal and collection of the mattress.

1. Tip: Check the storage location of your old mattress until you pick it up

The further the old mattress is stored away from our living area, the better. Out of sight, out of mind, just no longer in our own four walls.

 

If you want to store the mattress in the basement, in the attic, in the garden shed or in the garage until it is picked up, then check the individual locations for dust and moisture.

  • If stored poorly, mold and dirt can quickly move into the mattress.
  • The person who bought your mattress can then make a different decision at short notice and withdraw.

This is doubly annoying and your own fault, because you then have lost time, have to find a new buyer and are left with the unwanted mattress.

So avoid these types of discussions about the condition of the mattress early on. It is best to wrap the mattress in old blankets or plastic to protect it from dust, dirt and moisture.

2. Tip: Prepare the mattress a little & take good photos

The better the mattress is in good shape, the more interested buyers you will find. Sweat stains and smells are not only unpleasant. You can also let someone lose interest in your old mattress.

So prepare the mattress for the upcoming acceptance. A stain and odor remover may help you.

The advantage at this point: You can of course continue to use these care products for all other textiles and upholstered furniture. So a small investment.

I mentioned earlier that photos are crucial to the buyer’s interest. Not only for the number of inquiries, but also for their quality.

 

If your mattress looks fresh and undamaged, you will receive more useful inquiries. The better and higher-resolution the photos from the camera, the more likely it is to arouse interest.

  • Pay attention to light conditions and advantageous perspectives.
  • Better not show any personal or distracting objects in the photo.
  • The focus is on the mattress.

With good photos and an odor-free mattress, you will find a buyer for your old mattress more quickly.

3. Tip: cut up and dispose of the mattress

Would you like to take away the mattress yourself and dispose of it at a recycling center? The mattress doesn’t fit in your trunk due to its bulky dimensions? Or does it not roll or fold up?

Then cut or saw up the old mattress before you decide to dispose of it. From the perspective of the disposer, it does not matter how many parts the mattress comes in.

No matter which tool (carpet knife, saw, etc.) you want to use for this, it is better to wear safety gloves. You could easily cut and injure yourself.

Attention: Spring mattresses have a stable core made of interwoven steel springs. You would literally “break off” yourself and the blades of the cutting tools.

It is better not to take any risk of (injury) here and transport the spring mattress in one piece.

 

When disposing of waterbed mattresses, you must first cut out the heating element, as it does not belong in bulky waste. You must dispose of it separately with the electronic waste.

How to find the best mattress

We have come to the end of the article. Since you were very interested in the disposal of your old mattress, I inevitably ask myself the following question:

Have you already decided on a new mattress?

 

You can find a lot of answers, advice and assistance for this question at www.sleepwithjoy.com . In the past, my colleagues have written a great many articles with expert information.

I would like to recommend some articles below as further reading for the right mattress. Perhaps you will find the most suitable mattress for you with our articles:

But these are just a few examples. On this website you will find many other recommendations and general tips about sleep.

Bottom line: options for disposing of your mattress

As you can see, there are many options for disposing of your old mattress.

 

Depending on whether you want to get rid of the mattress quickly or if you want to dispose of it particularly cheaply, you have different options.

  • Picking up the old mattress can be free or cost a few euros.
  • If you bring the mattress to a landfill or recycling center yourself, this is usually free of charge.
  • Alternatively, you can donate, give away or sell the mattress.
  • Some mattress dealers offer a disposal service for the old mattress when you buy a new mattress.

It is important that you inform yourself well in advance and adhere to the legal rules.

I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.

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