Frequently Asked Questions

Allowable Mattresses

• Any size mattresses are allowed.  
• Mattresses: which are defined to include any sleep surface covered with ticking or fabric that contains resilient material, such as steel innersprings, foam, fiber, or other filling or upholstery materials, used alone or in combination, regardless of size or shape.  (This includes all types of memory foam mattresses, with or without cooling gels, including the Purple Mattress.)
• Box springs (also commonly called Foundations): which are defined to include a ticking- or fabric-covered structure used to support a mattress or sleep surface, and may be comprised of a frame, foam, springs or other structure, or other materials, used alone or in combination, and includes both adjustable bases or foundations and stationary foundations.

NOT acceptable conditions or types:

• Bug infested / Bed Bugs
• Wet/frozen
• Soiled/moldy
• Torn or broken/crushed
• Futons
• Fold-out sofa bed
• Mattress pads or toppers
• Infant sleeping pads
• Air/water beds
• Commercial/ retail oriented

Other Mattress Disposal Options 

• If you are buying new, we recommend checking with the retailer to see if they will recycle your old one.
• You can donate mattresses in good condition, such as Goodwill.  (we recommend a quick google search to find donation sites).  
• You can give mattresses away via a local gifting group. Some groups to visit are Buy Nothing, Freecycle, Craigs List, Facebook Marketplace and more.
• Soiled mattresses unable to be donated should be left curbside according to your trash pickup schedule.

Please bring an ID or utility bill showing your address is within City of Charleston limits.  

For anyone located outside of City of Charleston limits, you may still recycle your mattress for a fee from a private vendor, find out more and schedule your pickup online here: https://bedshred.com/

You may still leave your mattress curbside on your scheduled trash collection day, but it cannot be recycled this way.  We tested this during the pilot project, the claw pulls it apart and then it is extra challenging to transport and the recycling facility doesn't accept it in broken pieces.

No.  The drop off sites are for residents only.  Per City Code Article IV, Section 14-47: (c) It shall be the responsibility of an establishment, institution or business to make appropriate arrangements for collection and disposal of all bulk and quantity items except as herein provided and to transport such items to a state permitted landfill site.

However, mattress retail stores are encouraged to collaborate with BedShred to recycle old mattresses they collect, or to reach out to the City’s Sustainability Division for potential collaboration opportunities.

The old mattresses and/or box springs are dismantled into separate components (steel, foam and wood) and used to make new products.  Old mattresses or their components are never refurbished or reused in bedding again.  Mattresses will be transported to a special facility in South Carolina called Nine Lives Recycling to undergo the unique mattress processing method.  

1. STEEL that can be smelted down and made into new items like bicycle spokes;
2. WOOD (from box springs) that can be used to construct new things like bookcases and shelves or for craft projects; and
3. FOAM that can be repurposed into carpet padding and moving pads.

When all is said and done, the process leaves only 10% of each mattress being discarded as compacted waste, keeping 90% of the mattresses out of the landfill!

View pictures and more information about the mattress recycling process: https://bedshred.com/pages/bedshred-mattress-disposal-and-recycling-process

Mattresses are bulky and springy so they don’t compact well and take up lots of valuable space in landfills.  Save precious landfill space and give your mattress parts a new life by recycling your old mattresses and box springs.  

Mattresses are a huge problem for landfills and we can repurpose these materials instead of adding unnecessary waste to the environment.  Many national retailers are only offering one-sided mattresses and directing consumers to replace them more often. Landfills are also seeing an influx of returned mattresses from online retailers. The compaction rate of a discarded mattress is 400% less than regular garbage. A cubic yard of compacted garbage typically weighs between 1,500 and 1,800 lbs. A cubic yard of compacted mattresses weighs about 250 lbs. and can leave voids in the ground.