Did you know the number of mattresses dumped in a landfill each year (22 million to be exact) could circle the earth? Imagine what a difference it would make for our earth and for families in need if those mattresses were donated.
Because laws around mattress donations are hyper-localized, donating a mattress can become a tricky subject. For example, one location of a charitable organization may accept mattress donations and the other 10 minutes down the road may not. The result? Potential donors are often left confused.
We are here to tell you that there are options! You just might have to put a little more thought into the next leg of your mattresses life! But it is well worth it.
What kind of condition can my mattress be in?
One of the most important things you should know about donating your mattress is that the condition it’s in matters. By law, mattresses with any rips or stains can not be donated. This is for the health and safety of the family that ends up buying your donated mattress.
Besides this caveat, condition requirements vary from organization to organization. For example, some nonprofits will not accept king size mattresses because their customers or clients typically do not have the space to accommodate such a large bed. Additionally, some organizations only accept mattresses within a certain age range, regardless of exterior condition. Habitat ReStores here in the Triangle take all mattresses sizes, and also offer free pick-up if there are other items being donated at the same time.
Where does your mattress go?
When you donate your mattress through Habitat for Humanity ReStores, your donated mattress will first go to be sanitized. This is required for every single mattress given. The sanitizing process costs $15 to $30 per mattress. If you are considering donating your mattress, consider throwing in a $20 bill to cover the fee.
After your mattress is sanitized, it will most likely be placed for sale in the Habitat ReStore location in your community. “Proceeds from that sale help Habitat for Humanity provide a decent place to live for people in your community and around the world,” said Eric Moe, Procurement Director at Habitat Wake.
Eric reported that an average of 1,900 mattresses of all sizes are donated to the Habitat ReStore of Wake County each year. If you have a mattress that is ready to be donated, fill out the donation pick-up request form today.
You can also learn more about how to donate your mattress at Mattress Advisor. If your mattress is not in suitable condition for donation, you also have the option to recycle. But whatever you do, try to avoid those landfills!
This guest blog post was written by Elizabeth Hennigan of Mattress Advisor.