If your mattress is clean and still in decent shape, your best options are a donation platform like GIVIT, a Sydney charity such as ReLove, or a reuse group like Freecycle. Call ahead first to confirm they can take it. If it's too worn to reuse, Soft Landing can recycle it instead.
Australians send around 1.8 million mattresses to landfill every year, according to the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council: enough, laid end to end, to stretch from Hobart to Darwin. The ABSC works with mattress manufacturers, retailers and recyclers to build a circular economy for mattresses in Australia; the program is still under development.
Last updated: August 2026.
Check Before You Donate
Mattresses in good condition can be cleaned and donated to charities to help provide low-cost bedding to those in need. Always call the charity shop in advance. It saves you a wasted trip and saves the charity a mattress they can't use.
As a general benchmark, Salvos Stores' own donation page lists "Quality Furniture" as an accepted category at selected stores, defined as furniture that isn't broken, stained or torn. Its page doesn't name mattresses specifically, so treat it the same as any other charity: call and ask before you turn up.
Donate Through GIVIT
GIVIT is a donation-matching platform used by 4,900+ support organisations registered around Australia. Its donation page specifically asks for furniture, toys, beds, mattresses, whitegoods and household items in good condition. GIVIT's own advice to donors is simple: only give good-quality, pre-loved items you would pass on to a good friend.
To list your mattress, use GIVIT's online form and add a photo, which helps a partner charity see straight away whether it's a match. You list what you're giving away, and any of those organisations can view it and get in touch if they need it. There's no guarantee your donation will be needed, but your listing stays visible on GIVIT's online warehouse for up to three months, which improves its odds of being matched.
Some GIVIT partner charities may be able to pick up items from your home, though many don't have the means or resources to. Your donation is more likely to be needed if you can drop it to an organisation near you, or offer to post or courier it. GIVIT itself doesn't pick up, sort or store donated items; it's the platform that connects you with the charity that needs it. If a charity does take it, GIVIT emails you their details so you can arrange the handover directly. Got a question first? GIVIT aims to reply to emails within 48 business hours.
Donate to ReLove (Sydney's Own Furniture Charity)
ReLove is a registered charity supporting women and children affected by domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and people leaving incarceration. It currently operates in Sydney only, out of Alexandria, providing good-quality furniture and household items at no cost to families in crisis.
ReLove supports around 25 families a week and has furnished over 8,900 homes to date, diverting more than 6,500 tonnes of furniture from landfill and has provided over $39 million worth of rescued furniture to families in need in the process. It aims to furnish over 1,000 homes in the next twelve months, and with the support of corporate partners and community volunteers, ReLove ensures every home is fully furnished within 24 to 48 hours.
ReLove takes donations from individuals as well as suppliers and corporates, and says it cuts out the red tape to get items directly to people in need. Its warehouse operates by appointment only, so contact ReLove directly before dropping anything off. As with any charity, confirm mattress acceptance when you get in touch. ReLove's homepage doesn't name mattresses specifically among the furniture and household items it lists.
Give It Away Free Through Reuse Platforms
If a charity isn't the right fit, online reuse platforms are another option. Freecycle is a grassroots, entirely nonprofit movement, and membership is free. Its mission is to build a worldwide sharing movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources and eases the burden on landfill, while letting members benefit from a larger community. Freecycle has over 12 million members and 5,300+ local towns. Each local group is moderated by volunteers, with zero tolerance for scams, spam or adult content. Post your mattress as a giveaway on Freecycle. If your mattress is in good condition, Gumtree is another place to list it.
Not Ready to Recycle? Here's the Fallback
If your mattress is too worn to donate, Soft Landing is a certified not-for-profit social enterprise and an Australian Bedding Stewardship Council (ABSC) Approved Recycler operating across Sydney. Up to 75% of your mattress materials are recovered for recycling, reuse and energy recovery. Recovered materials include steel, foam and timber, and recycling with Soft Landing also creates work opportunities for people who face barriers to employment.
Soft Landing covers Greater Sydney, including the Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, Western Sydney, South Sydney and Northern Beaches, and also operates in the ACT, Victoria and WA, assisting businesses as well as residents. Not every area within those states is covered, so it's worth confirming yours first. Book a pickup and its team collects from your home across the Sydney area, or drop it off yourself at its Smithfield facility, 29 Chifley Street, open Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm.
If Soft Landing isn't convenient, a few other paths exist. Some mattress manufacturers may offer a take-back service, worth checking directly, and some retailers will collect and recycle your old mattress when you buy a new one from them. Your council may also collect mattresses or accept them at a transfer station, though not all councils will. Recycling generally comes with a small fee that varies by recycler, location and whether it's picked up or dropped off, so if cost is what you're after, see our mattress tip-fee cost guide instead.
One thing not to do: dump it. Illegal dumping of mattresses is a fineable offence, on top of being the worst outcome for the mattress itself.
What Happens to a Recycled Mattress
So what actually happens once a mattress is recycled? Many types of spring, foam and ensemble mattresses can be recycled, and the process starts with manually stripping the mattress apart so its components can be separated. Timber is processed into woodchips, used to make particleboard, animal bedding or mulch. Steel springs are sent to scrap metal merchants, melted down and used in buildings, infrastructure, vehicles and appliances. Some of the foam and wadding is recycled into carpet underlay.
Not every mattress recycles the same way. Most mattresses, including those made with PU foam, latex foam or standard innerspring coils, are readily recycled. Memory foam often lacks a viable recycling market in Australia, and pocket springs reduce the efficiency of steel recovery. Material that doesn't yet have a recycling market isn't automatically landfill either: Soft Landing diverts some of it through a Waste to Energy process, converting it into electricity or heat instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I donate a mattress to charity in Sydney?
Yes. Always call the charity shop in advance. GIVIT's donation page names mattresses among the items it asks for, and 4,900+ support organisations around Australia are registered with the platform.
Can you donate mattresses in Australia?
Yes. GIVIT's donation page names mattresses among the items you can offer, and Sydney-based charities and reuse networks take other usable household items too. Policies vary between charities, which is why calling ahead matters.
Where can I donate a used mattress near me in Sydney?
Start with GIVIT's online platform or a Sydney-based charity such as ReLove in Alexandria, then try Gumtree for your suburb or list it free on Freecycle.
What if my mattress isn't in good enough condition to donate?
Donate what's genuinely reusable; recycle the rest. Soft Landing recovers up to 75% of a mattress's materials for recycling, reuse and energy recovery. Never dump it: illegal dumping is a fineable offence.
What happens to a mattress once it's recycled?
It's manually stripped apart so the components can be separated. Timber becomes woodchips for particleboard, animal bedding or mulch; steel springs are melted down for use in buildings, infrastructure, vehicles and appliances; and some of the foam and wadding is recycled into carpet underlay.
Can I get my mattress picked up instead of dropping it off?
Some GIVIT partner charities may be able to pick up from your home, though not all have the resources to. Soft Landing also offers home pickup across Sydney, plus a Smithfield drop-off point if you'd rather deliver it yourself.
Not sure where to start, or just want it gone today? Paul's Rubbish takes mattresses off your hands anywhere in Sydney, no limit per job and no extra charge. Call 0407 125 125 or get a free quote online.
Related reading: Book Donation Sydney · Furniture Donation Sydney · How Much to Dump a Mattress at the Tip: A Cost Guide · Mattress Removal Sydney
