UK businesses generate over 30 million tonnes of waste each year1, which is a logistical and financial nightmare for businesses across a range of sectors.

Mattresses provide a unique set of challenges for companies looking to dispose of them. The size and shape of mattresses, along with the different component parts makes them hard for businesses to process and transport as waste, which results in 7.5 million mattresses being sent to burgeoning landfill sites across the country.

In the context of mattresses, a B2B waste management solution refers to the approach for handling and disposing of used or unwanted mattresses generated by commercial or public entities, from retailers to local councils. It involves managing the end of the lifecycle of mattresses, from collection and transportation to recycling, repurposing, or responsible disposal.

Waste management for businesses

Here at The Furniture Recycling Group we offer a range of circular economy solutions which ensure businesses and organisations can achieve their sustainability targets in the short and long term, while removing waste quickly, efficiently and cost effectively.

From mattress retailers like Eve and John Lewis, to universities and hotels, we help reduce the amount of waste that businesses have to deal with, from either reusing it for a new purpose or recycling it.

B2B waste management solutions that support a circular economy include:

Logistics

Collection and transportation is a key barrier to many businesses and organisations when it comes to waste management. Setting up logistics and recruitment for a complex service requires a huge amount of resource that many don’t have the capacity to implement.

We offer B2B bulk haulage and backhaul bulk haulage solutions to our customers nationwide. Additionally, we provide stand trailer options. Our logistics department currently organises over 180 collections and deliveries per week using our network of logistics partners. We offer bespoke collection service packages to meet our B2B customer requirements.

In line with our circular economy principles, we ensure we use appropriate vehicles for the collection required. We also invented a mattress compression system, which is fitted at our clients’ sites to increase truck capacity by up to 572% – meaning smaller and fewer trucks on the road, fewer journeys and much lower emissions.

Rejuvenation

In recent years there has been a huge rise in the number of mattresses sold with a generous comfort guarantee. Depending on the condition, some mattresses that are returned under this guarantee may undergo a rejuvenation process, such as cleaning, repairing, and sanitising, extending their useful life. This approach helps reduce waste and encourages reuse.

We offer a high rejuvenation rate to online mattress retailers for comfort guarantee returns, helping to protect asset value and revenue from losses incurred, complete with a full and transparent audit trail. Ancillary items (pillows, duvets, weighted blankets, mattress protectors, mattress toppers and bedding sets) are now able to be rejuvenated, cleaned and repackaged for resale.

We currently process around 900 mattresses per week and achieve between a 70-80% pass rate. This process is completed by our bespoke sanitisation machine, built by our in- house R&D team.

Recycling

For mattresses that cannot be refurbished, we facilitate recycling by separating materials such as foam, fabric and metal springs for processing into new uses. These are then put back into the manufacturing process to be used in items including carpet underlay, insulation materials and new metal products, continuing a circular process.

Recycling mattresses help to conserve valuable resources and reduces the demand for raw materials. It also prevents the accumulation of waste in landfills and contributes to a more sustainable and circular economy.

Our commercial mattress recycling service supports businesses and local authorities across the UK, with a full and transparent audit trail. We achieve over 92% recycling rate from our process, with a 100% guarantee of landfill diversion.

Discover how our services support businesses in achieving their sustainability goals via our case studies.