Bulky, hard to compact and ubiquitous, mattresses are seen as a promising area to help reduce hauling costs and drive progress on recycling.
By Karine Vann@karinevann, Waste Dive
As more states consider policy moves to bolster mattress recycling, changes in the way mattresses are purchased may have effects on the recycling process years down the line.
The promises of mattress recycling are appealing to local governments hoping to lower hauling costs and reach zero waste goals. Because they are bulky and exceedingly difficult to compact, mattresses are a challenge for the waste industry, and in some areas municipalities can be charged significant sums to dispose of them.
As a result, legislation around mattress recycling has gained momentum in recent years. Since 2015, California, Connecticut and Rhode Island have all launched extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for these products. Other states are hoping to follow suit. A similar program is now being considered by legislators in Massachusetts, which generates 600,000 mattresses per year according to the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). An estimated 75% of that volume ends up in landfills or incinerators. The agency is also pursuing its own disposal ban on mattresses.
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But as the pandemic accelerates the ongoing shift toward a mail-order “bed in a box” system, the industry will have to consider the implications of new purchasing habits and materials that may increase the number of mattress disposed of each year, and decrease the variety of traditional end markets.
Mattress recycling today
As an item historically designed for longevity, there is a significant lag between when a mattress is purchased and when it is discarded. According to Mike O’Donnell, managing director at the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) – a group forged by the International Sleep Products Association to oversee and expand mattress recycling in the U.S. He said this is an important factor in considering how programs will evolve.
“We have about an 11-year delay between what is being manufactured and when it comes into our recycling facilities,” said O’Donnell, referring to a study performed by MRC in 2019 that looked at the date tags on inbound mattresses, to help the organization begin to “forecast for the future.”
The industry has long been dominated by traditional box spring mattresses. These consist of a variety of materials, from the steel in its springs to the wood in its frames.
But in the last decade or so, modern mattresses have shifted toward a more homogenous composition, made of polyurethane foam.
