Recycling & disposal guides
Mattress recycling: what actually happens to your old mattress
How mattress recycling works, what each component becomes, why fly-tipped mattresses are a Kent enforcement priority and how to dispose of one legally.
- Written by Daniel Hartley, Operations Director & licensed waste carrier
- Reviewed by Priya Raman
- Updated 2026-07-15
Quick answer
Are mattresses recyclable in the UK?
Yes. Around 75% of a typical mattress can be recycled: steel springs go to metal reprocessing, foam is shredded into carpet underlay, and textiles are used in insulation or fuel. Mattresses are not POPs waste, so recycling rather than incineration is the correct route.
Reviewed by Daniel Hartley, Operations Director & licensed waste carrier · Last updated 2 August 2026
Key takeaways
- Steel, foam, felt and timber are separated and reprocessed
- Mattresses are excluded from POPs rules that apply to sofas
- Wrapping in plastic before collection keeps the recycler's stream clean
- Fly-tipped mattresses are one of Kent's most reported waste offences
The recycling process step by step
At a mattress recycling facility the cover is slit and stripped, foam and fibre layers are removed by hand, and the spring unit is baled for steel reprocessing. Foam is shredded and rebonded into carpet underlay. Coir, felt and textile layers go to insulation manufacture or refuse-derived fuel.
Timber from divan bases is chipped for panel board. What is left after separation is a small residual fraction, which is why 70-80% recovery is realistic and 100% is not.
Why condition matters
A dry mattress is recyclable. A mattress that has sat in a garden through two weeks of Kent rain is contaminated, heavier, and often refused by the recycler, meaning it drops into energy recovery instead.
If you are storing one before collection, keep it indoors or bag it. We supply mattress bags on request for exactly this reason.
Disposal routes in Kent, ranked
- Charity re-use: only if clean and the fire label is intact — most are refused
- Kent HWRC: accepted, but transport in a car is impractical and vans need a permit
- District council bulky collection: cheap per item, one to three week wait, kerbside only
- Licensed collection: same or next day, carried from the bedroom, transfer note issued
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