Most people in Wales concerned about old mattress disposal

The National Bed Federation (NBF) found that 79 per cent of people in Wales believe the recycling of their old mattress, rather than it ending up in a landfill, would impact their choice of disposal method.

This concern continues to grow, especially when people learn that out of the seven million mattresses disposed of each year in the UK, around 75 per cent—equating to 5.25 million—end up in a landfill.

70 per cent of Welsh consumers stated they would be prepared to pay more for a ‘greener’ mattress that could be fully recycled.

The NBF's head of marketing and membership, Simon Williams, said: "Increasingly, sustainability issues are having an impact on mattress purchasing decisions both here and across the UK, with more people every year concerned about what happens to their mattress when it reaches the end of its life."

Despite this eagerness for sustainability, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has influenced how much extra consumers are willing to pay.

Of those willing to pay extra, 35 per cent said they would pay up to five per cent more; 26 per cent said between six and 10 per cent, and 29 per cent said between 11 and 15 per cent more.

The research further revealed a decline in council collections of old mattresses.

Only 10 per cent had their old mattress collected by the council, a drop from 15 per cent two years ago.

However, the industry step-up is evident, with 17 per cent reporting collection by the company delivering their new mattress, and more than eight per cent by a waste disposal company, despite the latter witnessing a decrease.

Mr Williams said: "Unfortunately, it is often difficult for people to know the ultimate fate of their old mattress – while our survey showed that 21 per cent of people nationwide took their mattress to the local tip, local authorities in many areas are still struggling to recycle these bulky, multi-component items."

To learn more about how to dispose of mattresses, visit the NBF’s website.