A donated bed is one less bed in the landfill. Locally, Sleepyhead Beds is helping families in need with free mattresses and bedding.
For homeowners, mattresses are bulky and difficult to get rid of and the organization makes that process easy by picking them up directly from your home.
According to Sleepyhead Beds, Kansas City residents discard an estimated 30,000 mattresses each year. Since its inception in 2010, the organization has repurposed nearly 900,000 pounds of beds, and distributed over 30,000 mattresses to area children and families.
The Donation Process
For a $40 donation, Sleepyhead Beds picks up mattresses and box springs in the Kansas City area.
This January, the City of Overland Park launched a partnership with Sleepyhead Beds to offer its residents free mattress pickup.
The organization accepts gently used mattresses, including crib mattresses and pack & plays. They also accept bedding including sheet sets, blankets, pillowcases, and new pillows.
However, they do not accept king size mattresses, Sleep Number products, futons, sofa beds, day beds, mattress toppers, bed frames, or any items with stains, mold, large rips, burns, or odors.
Once you fill out the website form, a pickup will be scheduled within two weeks – if you live inside the 435 loop in Kansas City or Johnson County. Other locations may take longer to be picked up. They will pick up 20 miles from their Kansas City, MO location.
The mattresses get sanitized before getting donated to families in need.
To learn more, visit sleepyheadbeds.org.
Other Options
In addition to Sleepyhead Beds, many local thrift stores will accept gently used mattresses.
If the mattress or box springs has reached the end of its life and is not reusable, there are currently no recycling options in the region.
To find mattress disposable options near you, visit recyclespot.org.