The UK's Recycling Forecast: Which UK Towns and Cities Recycle the Most?

In an ever-enduring effort to preserve this precious planet we live on, countries up and down the globe have become much more recycling-conscious these past few years.

Amidst climate change, global warming, and ever-growing population counts, this world gets more and more precious as the days go by. Thankfully, a lot of the world has embraced this sustainability journey, with government-backed initiatives being rife across every continent.

 We at Get Laid Beds care very much about the planet. Afterall, it’s where a lot of our bed frame materials come from. Nature is kind to us, so we’re kind back. Not only are the woods in our workshop sourced via sustainable means, we’ve helped plant nearly 100,000 trees in Africa through our tree planting project.

So, as self-proclaimed environmental enthusiasts, we wondered how well the UK is holding up its side of the bargain when it comes to recycling. After sending freedom of information requests to over 400 local councils, we received hundreds of responses, and have collated all the data in this article.

To give each council a fair shot, we’ve based the percentage on local population size.

The UKs Top Recyclers: By Location

Although the UK is on a recycling mission, it’s clear that some places are further ahead than others.

Per every 100 people living in each location, here are the UK’s top recycling locations.

In first is Pendle Borough Council with 12.94 items; second is Malton (Yorkshire) with 11.79 items; then comes Hyndburn Borough Council with 8.66 items; in fourth is North Ayrshire Council with 7.71 items; and just behind them is the City of Westminster with 7.49 items.

How recycling-prone is your local town or city? Use the interactive map below to find out:

Who Recycles the Most Mattresses?

At Get Laid Beds, we love a good mattress. Something that really bothers us, though, is the number of mattresses that get dumped irresponsibly.

Mattresses contain all sorts of useful materials that can be harvested and re-used in multiple different applications. From the metal in the springs to the fabric surrounding the pockets, every old mattress can be brought back to life in some shape or another.

While mattresses are bulky, many recycling centres accept them, so there’s no real reason why they should be dumped. So, out of the 187,086 mattresses that were recycled in the past 12 months, who recycled the most per 100 people?

Re-appearing in this list is Malton in Yorkshire, of which recycles 3.66 mattresses per 100 people. Next to them again is Pendle Borough Council, with 3.15 mattresses. In third we have the London Borough of Lewisham with 2.90 mattresses, in fourth is Peterborough City Council, with 2.69 mattresses, and just behind in fifth we have Hyndburn Borough Council with 2.59 mattresses recycled.

Who Spent the Most on Mattress Recycling?

As much as we’d like it to be free, unfortunately, recycling a mattress comes with a fair amount of financial cost. From running the vehicles that handle transportation, to the machinery that processes each mattress, and even the crucial workers that facilitate each part of the process, there’s a cost to recycle each one.

This cost got us thinking: how much does it cost to recycle a mattress?

Although this metric can fluctuate wildly due to things like road networks and machinery quality, some places spent more on recycling their mattresses than others.

At the top of our list of big spenders is Cornwall Council, which spent £217,965 on mattress recycling, followed by Kirklees Metropolitan Council, spending £199,470. After Kirklees is the City of Westminster, which spent £126,816, and coming in fourth is the London Borough of Lambeth, spending slightly less at £125,016. Wakefield Metropolitan Council completes our top five by spending £109,900 on mattress recycling.

Mattress Recycling: How It's Done

As we’re so passionate about sustainability, here’s the low-down on how to recycle a mattress:

Sell It On

If you’ve taken good care of your mattress, there’s a high chance that you can sell it on once you’re done with it. Provided it isn’t faulty or damaged, there’s a healthy market for second hand mattresses on places like eBay, Gumtree, and Facebook.

The only thing to bear in mind with this is that you may not make much money off the sale. Although mattresses do sell second hand, the idea of sleeping on a used mattress isn’t for everyone, so expect some haggling to take place.

Although this can be a tedious process, you may find that the convenience of having someone pick your mattress up for free, majorly outweighs the need to deal with transport and logistics yourself.

Donate It

If selling your mattress isn’t an option, you could always donate it to a local charity or homeless shelter.

Places such as these are always grateful for mattresses, even more so ones that are barely used. Though, even in cases of light use, most charities and shelters would still willingly accept whatever donations they can – mattresses included.

Take It to a Local Recycling Centre 

Recycling centres truly are a gift. They allow us to safely dispose of all kinds of unneeded household waste. This includes mattresses. 

That’s right – even though they’re heavy and cumbersome, many UK recycling centres will happily accept your mattress when brought to them. In most cases, your nearest centre will have a designated area for bulky items, of which includes mattresses. The only difficulty with this, of course, is getting the mattress there in the first place.

Arrange for a Collection

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to take your mattress to your recycling centre yourself, most (if not all) local UK councils will allow you to arrange for it to be collected.

While the service isn’t free, it is certainly one of the more convenient ways of recycling your mattress.

Find a Durable Mattress for Your Bedroom

To get the most from your mattress, you’ll need to buy one that’s built to last. If you’re looking for such a thing, look no further than Get Laid Beds. We have all kinds of mattresses in varying styles to suit your needs. From pocket sprung to memory foam, invest in a better night’s sleep, with Get Laid Beds.