Underneath the sheets, your mattress hides a whole lot of forever waste.

If you’ve ever dragged an old mattress to the curb, you know they’re heavy, awkward, and weirdly dense. What most people don’t realize is that those things are built like tanks—layered with materials that were never meant to decompose. They’re cozy for a while, sure, but once they’re tossed, they sit in landfills for decades. Sometimes centuries. It’s not just the foam you can blame, either. The modern mattress is a Frankenstein blend of synthetic fibers, chemical adhesives, petroleum products, and sneaky microplastics. Even the ones labeled “natural” or “eco-friendly” often come packed with hidden materials that are tough to recycle and impossible to break down.
The truth is, most mattresses are designed for comfort, not sustainability. And while we’ve become more conscious about fast fashion and plastic packaging, mattresses somehow fly under the radar. It’s time to pull back the covers and take a closer look at what we’re actually sleeping on—because the materials inside your bed aren’t just temporary. They’re forever.