Stacked up, the number of mattresses discarded each day in the USA would surpass Mount Everest by an additional four miles into the sky. That is tons of waste that ends up in landfills and could have been recycled into items like carpet padding, mulch, and steel.
How do we do a better job of bidding farewell to a mattress in its final days? Recycling. Even though that sounds simple, only three states have enacted official programs—California, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
The process to recycle a mattress goes beyond sitting the old bed on a curb on trash day. There are fees and protocols and legislation that governs the proper disposal of a mattress. Fortunately, this is where the Mattress Recycling Council steps in.
This week we chatted with the Director of Operations, Justine Fallon, to learn how the MRC is working with manufacturers, retailers, and the individual states to develop and maintain healthy mattress recycling programs. It’s an issue that impacts everyone in our industry and will only become more top-of-mind as the push for a better planet moves forward.
