Susan Wineland
Orange Recycling Committee
Did you know that Connecticut was at the forefront of an important recycling effort?
Yes, Connecticut was the first state in the US to pass a statewide mattress recycling law in 2013. This comprehensive mattress stewardship legislation, Public Act 13-42, required mattress manufacturers to establish a program to manage unwanted mattresses generated in Connecticut. The law also added a fee at the point of sale to fund the program. It officially went into effect in May 2015 when it became called “Bye Bye Mattress.” In just 10 years, Connecticut has recycled over 1.7 million mattresses.
The Mattress Recycling Council administers the program with input from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The law was a necessary move, as mattresses and box springs become problematic once they reach the end of their useful life. Since they are bulky and hard to move, disposal is difficult and increasingly expensive for municipalities. As a result, they often become an illegal dumping problem, found on curbs, vacant lots and roadsides.
There is no easy way to dispose of mattresses because they pose challenges for waste management systems due to their inability to be easily compressed and crushed and their tendency to become tangled in equipment.
The good news is that most components found in a mattress can be recycled, such as foam, cotton, wood and the steel springs. Recyclers in the business of dismantling mattresses and box springs can recover 80-95 percent of the materials for reuse or recycling.
Turning mattress components into useful products is one of the other positive outcomes. This process first involves cutting open the layers and separating them. The materials on the inside are organized by type. Foam, fiber, fabrics and any soft parts are compressed and used for carpet padding or insulation products. Wood is shredded to produce landscaping mulch or used as a fuel source. Metal and box springs are taken out and sent to scrap recyclers or sold to foundries and steel mills and used in the construction of rebar and other steel products.
Mattress recycling has been increasing as an excellent alternative to transfer stations, landfilling or dumping. Over 150 Connecticut communities participate in the Bye Bye Mattress program. The state’s endeavors have helped divert thousands of tons of mattress materials from Connecticut landfills and waste transfer sites. It’s estimated that about 30,000 tons of mattress materials have been diverted from landfills and waste collection, and this has also curbed illegal dumping.
Mattress recycling is an effective way to protect the environment and reduce waste. By disposing of mattresses responsibly, we can prevent them from ending up in landfills or waste sites where they take up valuable space, cost the town unnecessary tipping fees, take over a hundred years to decompose, and release harmful chemicals like methane into the soil and air. Recycling old steel, foam, wood and other material to create new products saves water, conserves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. And recycling mattresses creates jobs.
Most town transfer stations participate in the Bye Bye Mattress program and allow town residents to drop off mattresses free of charge. And any Connecticut resident can drop off mattresses at Park City Green, located at 459 Iranistan Ave. in Bridgeport, or the Salvation Army locations in Hartford and Newington.
While the Orange transfer station does not yet participate in mattress recycling, an important recycling event will take place on May 3 at High Plains Community Center, located at 525 Orange Center Rd. in Orange. Held rain or shine, there will be mattress recycling along with paper shredding and e-waste recycling among other events. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to noon and is a great opportunity to bring your old mattresses and box springs. Don’t bring mattresses from futons, sofa beds or waterbeds, mattresses with bed bugs, wet, damaged or excessively soiled mattresses, nor sleeping bags or mattress pads or toppers. If you need help, contact Ken or Marianne from the Orange Lions Club at 203-795-3906 to arrange for a pickup of mattresses and box springs. Just place them in a dry area outside or in a garage for easy access. Their fee for pick-up is $15 per mattress or boxspring, which goes to the Orange Lions charities.
Over the last several years the Orange Recycling Committee has facilitated the recycling of several hundred mattresses at this event and hopes that residents will help keep them out of the waste stream and put them into the recycling stream.
Susan Wineland is a member of the Orange Recycling Committee.