How to Find Places That Recycle Pillows

Learning where to recycle old and worn out pillows is a step in reducing waste. Recycling pillows keeps them out of landfills and allows the materials to be reused, saving natural resources and energy. Finding pillow recycling locations does require some research, as curbside pickup and municipal recycling programs rarely accept pillows. But there are more specialized recycling facilities, non-profits, and even some retailers that provide pillow recycling options.

Why Pillow Recycling Matters

Pillows contain a mix of natural and synthetic materials that do not biodegrade well in landfills. The polyester filling, foam stuffing, and plastic components can take hundreds of years to decompose. When pillow materials do eventually break down, they release greenhouse gases and can leach chemicals that contaminate groundwater, soil, and the surrounding environment.

Recycling pillow components not only keeps these materials out of landfills, but it also allows the reclaimed materials to displace the need for new natural resource extraction and processing. Cotton covers and fiberfill can be recycled instead of incinerated or landfilled, reducing the demands on cotton farming and synthetic fiber production.

With Americans disposing of over 20 million pillows every year, recycling programs create an opportunity to recover substantial amounts of reusable materials from the waste stream while preventing pollution.

Assessing if Your Pillows Can Be Recycled

Not all pillows are created equal when it comes to recyclability. The materials used to make the pillow components will determine if they can be effectively recycled and reused.

The outer pillowcase is often made of cotton, which can be recycled into insulation, carpet padding, or industrial rags. Feather and down filling is also highly recyclable, as it can be sterilized and reused in new bedding or apparel.

Polyester pillow filling and foam stuffing, however, are more difficult materials to recycle. There are fewer facilities equipped to process these synthetic components. Check your pillow's tag to identify the materials. Pillows labeled as "hypoallergenic" typically contain polyester fill that may not be widely accepted for recycling.

Look for pillows stuffed with down, feathers, shredded foam, cotton, wool, or other natural fibers that have more recycling options. Avoid pillows with metal grommets, zippers, or other non-fabric components that complicate recycling.

Preparing Pillows for Recycling

Proper preparation is an important first step to ensure pillows can be efficiently recycled:

• Remove the pillow case and wash according to care instructions
• Check for and remove any zippers, buttons, hooks, or reinforcing grommets
• Make sure pillow fill is completely dry to avoid mildew
• Place pillow in plastic bag and compress to reduce size

Pillows should also be clean and free of stains, bodily fluids, dust mites, or oil residue which can contaminate the recycling process. Machine wash and dry any pillowcases or shell covers according to care instructions prior to recycling. Deflate polyfill and fiber pillows completely and place into plastic bags to compress size for easier transport and processing.

Finding Local Pillow Recycling Centers

There are several avenues to locate recyclers accepting pillows in your community or region:

Check with Your Local Government

Contact your municipal recycling coordinator or solid waste management agency directly to ask about local pillow recycling options. Some local governments have textile collection partnerships with third-party companies like Simple Recycling that may include pillow recycling.

Many public waste authorities also have online directories of local recycling locations searchable by material type. Look for recyclers accepting textiles, cotton, down, or polyester fill to find potential pillow recycling.

Use Online Recycling Locator Tools

Websites like Earth911.com and Search.Earth911.com allow you to search for local recycling centers by material and zip code. Enter keywords like "pillows", "bedding", or specific pillow filling materials like "cotton", "down", "polyester fill", etc. to generate listings of recyclers in your area.

Another option is to use the recycling search engine offered by the Mattress Recycling Council which provides maps of mattress recyclers that also often accept pillows.

Contact Retail Stores for Take-Back

An increasing number of major retailers like Walmart, Ikea, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Crate & Barrel have initiated pillow take-back and recycling programs. Check their websites or customer service lines to find participating locations and learn about processes and fees.

For example, Ikea offers an in-store pillow recycling program where customers can return polyester, latex, or feather pillows to be recycled. Walmart partners with TerraCycle for their pillow recycling initiative spanning over 3,500 stores.

Donate Usable Pillows

Instead of recycling, consider donating gently used pillows without excessive wear, stains, or damage to charitable organizations. Homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, youth shelters, animal rescues, and other non-profits may accept donated pillows.

Contact the organization first to ensure they are currently accepting pillow donations and arrange proper drop-off. This avoids well-intended donations becoming waste.

The Pillow Recycling Process

Once dropped off for recycling, pillows undergo a multi-step process to filter and separate the materials for reuse in other products:

Incoming Pillow Inspection

Pillows are manually inspected to sort out any contaminated, wet, or non-recyclable items that may damage equipment or disrupt the process.

Shredding and Separation

Accepted pillows are shredded or torn apart into the main component parts of outer cover, lining, filling or stuffing, and any reinforcing items like zippers or labels. Sorting of materials may be done manually or by specialized separation machines.

Reclamation and Reuse

The reclaimed pillow materials are redirected into recycling streams:

• Cotton covers recycled into insulation, rags, or blended into paper
• Feather and down sterilized with heat to eliminate dust mites and reused as filling in new bedding or garments
• Polyester fiberfill thermally processed and used for carpet padding or plastic products
• Shredded memory foam reused as carpet underlay or padding
• Metal zippers and fasteners sent to scrap metal recycling facilities

Proper recycling channels high-quality materials back into manufacturing supply chains instead of disposing them into landfills.

Environmental Benefits of Pillow Recycling

Beyond simply diverting textile waste, recycling pillow components provides important closed-loop benefits:

Reduces Demand for Virgin Materials

Keeping reusable cotton, down, and polyester textile fibers circulating through recycling reduces the need for resource-intensive production of new cotton crops and synthetic fibers.

Conserves Landfill Space

Pillow recycling prevents non-biodegradable materials like foam, polyester fill, and synthetics from taking up limited landfill space long-term.

Avoids Pollution

Stopping pillow components like feathers from entering and degrading in the natural environment prevents ecosystem and water contamination.

Saves Energy

Processing recycled polyester and cotton back into usable materials consumes less energy than extracting, growing, and producing new textile fibers and fabrics.

Keeping pillow materials out of landfills avoids methane emissions released as they slowly decompose over decades. Recycling also lowers the carbon footprint compared to manufacturing new textile products.