They’re a tricky item to dispose of.

But if you’ve got a mattress you need to dump, Cork City Council has announced it will be accepting old mattresses free of charge for one day only this week.

As part of an effort to reduce fly-tipping (and stop dodgy folk from dumping their rubbish in Cork’s parks or at the side of the road) a free Mattress Drop-Off will take place between 8am and 3pm this Wednesday, October 7th, 2020 at Tramore Valley Park in Ballinlough.

The rules are simple: the Council will accept one mattress per car, completely free of charge. Mattresses must be completely dry or they will not be accepted.

“This amnesty is for domestic customers only.” said a Council spokesperson. “No commercial customers please.”

All you have to do is enlist a friend or two, heave your mattress down the stairs and into the car and it will be safely disposed of.

Many furniture stores now offer mattress collection when you purchase a new mattress. For a cost of between €25 and €30, larger companies such as IKEA and Harvey Norman recycle the mattresses by stripping away each layer (polyester, cotton, metal and foam) and finding a new use for each individual material.

For more information on the Cork City Council Mattress Drop-Off, check out their Twitter feed. If you miss the free event, you can still dispose of your mattress at Cork Civic Amenity and Recycling for around €15.