Mattress Recycling in Bloomington, IL
Kernovate Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mattress recycling center based in Bloomington. We deconstruct mattresses and box springs by hand, separating the steel, foam, fiber, and wood so each component can be recycled rather than landfilled. Proceeds and recovered materials fund our BEDS Program, delivering free beds to local families through our partner agencies across Central Illinois.
Drop off is $10 per piece. Pickup is $10 per piece plus a zone fee based on distance.
Drop Off Your Mattress in Bloomington
Drop off is available by appointment at our Bloomington facility six days a week. Book online to receive the current location and arrival details.
What we accept
- Innerspring mattresses
- Memory foam mattresses
- Hybrid mattresses
- Box springs and foundations
- Adjustable bases
- All standard sizes (twin through California king)
What we can't accept
- Soiled or heavily stained mattresses
- Bed-bug infested items
- Wet or water-damaged mattresses
- Heavily damaged frames missing structural components
Don't Want to Haul It? We'll Come Get It.
Pickup is $10 per piece plus one distance-based zone fee of $20, $40, $60, or $80. Eligible addresses must be within 60 miles of our Bloomington base. Enter your address when booking to confirm eligibility and your pricing zone.
We pick up across Downtown Bloomington, the East Side, West Side, South Hill, Founders' Grove, Eagle Crest, Fox Creek, Tipton Trails, and the areas around Miller Park, Constitution Trail, and Illinois Wesleyan.
Why Choose a Bloomington Nonprofit?
Most mattress haulers charge $75 to $150 and send everything to a landfill. Kernovate is different: we're a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 41-2681068) headquartered right here in Bloomington. Every dollar you spend on pickup and every mattress that comes through our doors stays local — funding our recycling operation and the BEDS Program that delivers free beds to Bloomington families through our partner agency network.
Your pickup fee is not tax-deductible, but mattress donations and monetary contributions to Kernovate are. Ask for a receipt at drop-off.
"Founded November 2025, Kernovate grew out of more than a decade of informal mattress donation work at Bloomington's Kern Mattress Outlet. Formalizing as a nonprofit let us scale the program, accept grant funding, and partner with social service agencies across McLean County."
What Happens to Your Mattress After Drop-Off
A standard queen mattress weighs roughly 60 pounds and takes up about 23 cubic feet of landfill space. Worse, landfilled mattresses don't compress — they create voids that damage heavy equipment and slow site operations. We deconstruct every mattress that comes through our facility and route the components to recycling partners:
Steel springs & coils
→ Scrap metal recyclers (remelted into new steel)
Polyurethane foam
→ Carpet padding manufacturers
Cotton & fiber batting
→ Industrial felt and insulation
Wood frames
→ Mulch, biomass fuel, or composted
Every mattress that comes through our facility gets tracked. Here is what our Bloomington operation has accomplished since opening in November 2025:
Material Diverted
124.3
Tons Recovered
Material Weight
248,575
Lbs Processed
Items Processed
5,186
Total Units
Pickups Completed
78
Operations
Need a Bed? Start With a Case Manager.
Kernovate's BEDS Program delivers free beds to families experiencing housing insecurity across 19 Central Illinois counties — but we don't take bed requests directly from individuals. We work through the existing network of social service agencies and case managers that already serve our community. This ensures every family gets full support, not just a mattress.
Already working with a case manager, social worker, or shelter staff?
Ask them about a BEDS referral. They can contact us directly at (309) 846-1070 or info@kernovate.com.
Not connected to an agency yet?
Call 2-1-1 — it's the United Way's free information and referral line, staffed 24/7. They'll match you with the right local organization for your situation: emergency shelter, family services, domestic violence support, veteran assistance, or aging services.
Prefer to research on your own?
The McLean County Continuum of Care coordinates housing and homelessness services across the county. Kernovate is a CoC member and works with CoC-affiliated agencies to place beds where they're needed most.
Why we work this way
A bed is usually just one piece of what a family needs. A caseworker can verify eligibility, coordinate delivery, and connect families to food assistance, utility help, housing navigation, mental health services, and other programs they may qualify for. Routing through an agency means every BEDS delivery is part of a larger support plan — not an isolated drop-off.