How to Recycle Pillows & Cushions
Pillows and cushions come filled with down and feathers, polyester fiberfill, memory foam, or buckwheat and bead fill, all wrapped in a fabric shell. What determines the disposal path is less the fill than the category: bed pillows used for sleeping are treated differently from throw pillows and decorative cushions used on sofas and chairs, because donation and textile-recycling programs draw that same line.
Quick answer
Throw pillows and decorative cushions are generally fine to donate or drop in a textile-recycling bin. Bed pillows are the outlier: Goodwill's donation guidance excludes bed pillows specifically, and Planet Aid's bedding program states directly that it doesn't accept them, even though both take blankets, comforters, and throw pillows. A worn bed pillow without a local exception usually just goes in the trash.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Typical value
- Minimal; donation value depends on condition, and bed pillows in particular have almost no resale or reuse market compared to throw pillows and cushions.
- Donate / take-back
- Available
- 1Remove pillowcases and decorative covers for separate washing