How to get rid of an old mattress in Essex
Too big for the car, too floppy to carry alone, and many skip firms won't take one. Here's every way to get rid of an old mattress in Essex and East London, and what each one costs.
By LM Waste Management Ltd · Updated October 2026
Can I put a mattress in a skip?
Not in ours, and many skip companies say the same. Mattresses are bulky and springy, and they're dealt with separately from mixed skip waste. Book the mattress as its own collection instead, alongside the skip if you need one. See what can go in a skip.
Mattresses aren't covered by the POPs rules that now apply to sofas and armchairs, but they're still bulky waste that needs handling on its own. For sofas, see how to get rid of an old sofa.
Option 1: buying a new mattress? Ask about the old one
Many mattress and bed shops will take your old mattress away when they deliver the new one, usually for a fee. Ask when you order and check the price. It's up to the shop: there's no take-back law for mattresses.
Option 2: your council's bulky waste collection
Councils do collect mattresses, and most count one as a single bulky item.
| Council | Price, and what's worth knowing |
|---|---|
| Southend-on-Sea | 1 individual bulky item £15; up to 3 bulky items £40; up to 5 bulky items £60; combined items (3 piece suite/corner sofa, or dining table and 6 chairs) £35. Each household can also book one free collection per service year (up to 5 individual items or 1 combination item), subject to availability. |
| Rochford | £23.22 for the first item, additional items are charged £11.09 eachSoiled mattresses must be bagged. |
| Basildon | We couldn't confirm this year's price. See the council's page. |
| Chelmsford | £31 for the first item, £13.60 for each additional item (a corner sofa counts as two items); prices valid until 31 December 2026 |
| Brentwood | £25 for the first item, additional items are £15 (the same rates apply to upholstered POPs items, which are booked separately) |
| Castle Point | Minimum charge of £49.18 for up to 3 items; additional items £7.60 each; maximum of 10 items. Upholstered items need a separate booking at the same rates. |
| Braintree | 1 item £20.00; 2-3 items £30.00; 4-6 items £55.00; 7-9 items £80.00 (including VAT, from 1 April 2026) |
| Thurrock | £44.00 for either 1 item, 2 items or 3 items; a further £12.00 for each item in addition to the first 3; up to 8 items per booking |
| Havering | For 1 to 3 items the cost is £71.50; for every additional item the cost is £18.50 |
| Redbridge | One free collection every 12 months (rolling) of up to three items; extra items cost £15.20 each, paid in advance |
| Barking and Dagenham | Currently free under a pilot scheme: a standard collection of up to 4 items (the usual £35 fee has been removed for the trial)Slots can be up to 4 weeks away. |
From each council's website, checked October 2026. Prices change, usually every April, so check the council's own page before you book.
The mattress has to be outside by early morning on the day (usually by 7am) and the crew won't come in. That's fine with a porch or a drive, less so if it means a week of the mattress sitting under a sheet. Our council bulky waste guide covers every council we work in.
Option 3: take it to the tip yourself
You need a booked slot for every visit to an Essex County Council recycling centre, cars included, and you may be asked for proof of address. Check your centre takes mattresses before you go. A van or large trailer needs a van slot at one of the van-friendly sites. A single mattress might go in an estate car with the seats down; a double or king usually won't.
Option 4: can I donate it?
It's hard to donate a used mattress. If it's almost new, clean and still has its labels, ask a local furniture charity. Otherwise, one of the other options is the realistic route.
Option 5: book a collection with us
We collect mattresses across Essex and East London at fixed prices you see before you pay, in any condition. Clean, dry mattresses are recycled; wet or damaged ones can't be, so they go to energy recovery.
| Item | On its own | With other items |
|---|---|---|
| Single mattressAny condition. Clean, dry mattresses are recycled; wet or damaged ones can't be, so they go to energy recovery. | £75 | £35 |
| Double mattressAny condition. Clean, dry mattresses are recycled; wet or damaged ones can't be, so they go to energy recovery. | £80 | £40 |
| King size mattressAny condition. Clean, dry mattresses are recycled; wet or damaged ones can't be, so they go to energy recovery. | £85 | £45 |
| Super king mattressAny condition. Clean, dry mattresses are recycled; wet or damaged ones can't be, so they go to energy recovery. | £90 | £50 |
| Bed frame or divan baseSingle, double or king. Mattress not included. | £87 | £47 |
| Bed and mattress togetherFrame or divan plus the mattress, any size. | £154 | £114 |
| HeadboardAny material, frame not included. | £58 | £18 |
All prices include VAT. "On its own" includes our £40 base fee, which you pay once per collection, so everything else you add costs the lower price.
So two double mattresses together come to £120, not £160.
How it works
- Leave it at the front of the house, on the drive, in a side passage or in a garage. That's what the prices cover, and you don't need to be in.
- Inside the house or flat? Say so when you book and we carry it out: £72 an hour (at least one hour), plus £18 a floor above the first floor if there's no lift. An adult needs to be there for inside collections.
- Choose from the available collection days when you book. Book by 4pm the working day before your collection day.
- Pay by card online, and your confirmation comes by email with a waste transfer note to follow.
Book a mattress collection or see every mattress price.
Keep it dry
This is the one tip that makes a difference: a wet mattress can't be recycled. If yours has to wait outside, keep it in the garage, the porch or a side passage, or at least off the ground and covered. Better still, leave it inside and have us carry it out.
Questions people ask
Will the council collect a mattress?
Yes. Almost every council in Essex and East London collects mattresses as a bulky item, from outside your property, for a fee. Southend and Redbridge give a free collection once a year, and Barking and Dagenham is free while its trial runs.
What size skip do I need for a double mattress?
You don't need one: mattresses can't go in our skips. Book the mattress as a collection instead. A double is £80 on its own or £40 added to other items.
Can you take the divan base and headboard too?
Yes. Add them to the same booking. A divan base is £47 and a headboard £18 when added to a mattress collection.
Do I need to be home?
Not if it's outside, in a side passage or in a garage. If we're carrying it out of the house or flat, an adult needs to be there.