18.2 million mattresses are thrown away every year — here's how to choose a bed that's built to last

The energy resources that go into making a bed are huge, and despite being made from largely recyclable materials, they are often dumped in landfills.

When we spoke to the Environmental Protection Agency, they told Tom’s Guide that in 2018, the U.S. generated approximately 12,080,000 tons of furniture (which includes items such as sofas, tables, chairs and mattresses). Of that, 8,900,000 tons were landfilled.

While the EPA couldn’t specify exactly the percentage of mattresses in the equation, we know that an estimated 18.2 million mattresses are thrown away every year in America.

But this doesn’t need to be the case, especially when a quality mattress should last anywhere between eight and 25 years.

So, with yet another sales event upon us, is there a way to shop more sustainably and b