Tips and recycling centres
How to get rid of a mattress
A mattress is too big for your bin. The easiest ways to get rid of it are the shop delivering your new one, a council bulky waste collection or your local tip.
The shop delivering your new one
Many retailers will take the old mattress away when they deliver, usually for a fee. In a February 2026 consumer survey, 44% of people got rid of their last mattress this way.
Council bulky waste collection
Most councils collect bulky items for a fee. A bed frame and a mattress may count as two items.
Tips
Your local tip will usually take a mattress if you can get it there. Rolling it up and tying it can help it fit in a car.
Donate it
Some charities resell mattresses that are clean and fit to use. The British Heart Foundation needs the fire safety label attached.
About half of mattresses are recycled
The National Bed Federation estimates that about 56% of mattresses were sent for recycling in 2023.
Key facts
- Binmap lists 52 tips that say they take mattresses.
- Another 468 places may take mattresses, but they do not say so. Check before you go.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
Written by Binmap using guidance from GOV.UK and the British Heart Foundation.
Pages from the organisations involved
What to do
- Keep the mattress clean and dry if you want to donate it.
- Check the fire safety label is still attached.
- Ask whoever collects it whether it will be recycled.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not leave a mattress in the street or in someone else's skip. Fly tipping is illegal and can mean a large fine.
Kinds of place that take it
- Collection services
- Recycling centres
More local guides
Guides for similar items
Other kinds of place
Schemes and collection services
Binmap is independent and is not run by any council.