The International Sleep Products Association has proposed federal legislation, the Used Mattress Recycling Act, to help create a national program for recycling used mattress parts.
Discarded mattresses
“The association is seeking a practical national system for used mattress recycling that will protect the industry from potentially damaging costs and inefficiencies that will result as multiple states pursue their own stand-alone legislation,” said ISPA President Ryan Trainer.
The Used Mattress Recycling Act would establish a national mattress recycling system that would be an industry-led, efficient solution to the challenge of recycling used mattresses. The act would:
- Create a Mattress Recycling Council. The new, nonprofit, volunteer-led group would represent the needs of manufacturers, retailers, consumers and government and would be charged with supporting the development of a robust national mattress recycling program.
- Collect a single small, visible fee for mattress recovery at retail that would be remitted to the Mattress Recycling Council. Fees collected would be dedicated to funding legitimate mattress recycling operations and also to the oversight, management and administration of a national program.
- Combat illegitimate mattress scavenging and “renovator” operations that are unsanitary and dangerous to consumers and the industry’s reputation. The legislation would task the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission with establishing a national product safety standard for the processing, labeling and sale of used and renovated mattresses.
- Operate with federal oversight from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the leader of a business-supportive, cabinet-level federal agency.
The program would be initiated only after members of the industry have had an opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposed national solution and voted on that proposal through an industry-wide referendum.
The need for a solution
As landfill space shrinks and disposal fees increase, a number of states are considering legislation that would make the manufacturer financially responsible for the collection and recycling of their used products. This year alone, roughly 15 states are considering more than 50 bills to enact “extended producer responsibility,” or EPR, programs for various consumer products.
A number of these present significant risks to the mattress industry. For example, the legislatures in Connecticut and Rhode Island are considering EPR recycling bills that specifically target used mattresses. ISPA is concerned that more states will address this issue. And, if legislation passes in one state, other states may use that legislation as a model for their own.
EPR legislation will be expensive for the industry and its customers, especially if multiple states begin to implement their own programs.
State-level legislation will place burdens on mattress manufacturers that sell mattresses in that state for disposal of mattresses that may have been purchased in another state. In addition, state mattress recycling legislation likely will require retailers to sell mattresses only from “authorized” manufacturers, adding considerable costs, inefficiencies and government bureaucracy and making it difficult for new manufacturers to sell in that state.
Complying with multiple state-level systems will be expensive for the industry and won’t take advantage of economies of scale that a national system can provide.
State legislative update
As mentioned, legislation recently has been introduced in both Connecticut and Rhode Island that would require mattress manufacturers to set up EPR programs for discarded mattresses in those states. ISPA defeated similar legislation in Rhode Island in 2011.
ISPA has met with lawmakers in both states to present the industry’s position on the need for a national recycling solution and its opposition to
state-by-state laws.
Trainer recently testified at the Connecticut Senate’s Environmental Committee hearing, opposing the proposed state legislation and arguing for a national solution. Connecticut’s governor has initiated a comprehensive study that will analyze the state’s current approach to waste management and make recommendations on how the state can reduce waste through improved materials management and lower costs for municipalities and consumers. ISPA has urged the Connecticut legislature to await the findings of the study before taking legislative action.
Finally, ISPA helped form the Product Management Alliance, an organization representing the interests of manufacturers in many industries that oppose EPR-type legislation.
ISPA expects environmental groups to continue to lobby for EPR legislation in these and other states. Therefore, there is some urgency to pursue a national solution, not local or state-by-state action.
The need for leadership
The mattress industry has a strong tradition of environmental responsibility. For instance, many companies use recycled steel in the production of innersprings, helping reduce the impact of sourcing new raw materials. The industry increasingly uses renewable materials in products. In addition, ISPA encourages companies to responsibly recycle used mattress materials and has demonstrated leadership in helping companies identify potential uses for the materials they remove from old products.
Meanwhile, the brand value of all companies in the industry is threatened because of the practices of unscrupulous companies that scavenge used mattresses, sew new covers on often filthy and dangerous old products, and sell them to unsuspecting consumers in an unhygienic, unsafe or dishonest manner. The industry must end this practice to protect both consumers and the industry itself, Trainer said.
ISPA already is a leader in encouraging the development of a legitimate mattress recycling industry. Just seven years ago, there were only three or four legitimate recycling operations in the entire United States. Today, there are nearly 30.
There are precedents for industry-led recycling solutions such as the one ISPA is proposing. For example, a number of states encourage responsible recycling of car batteries, motor oil, tires, house paint and carpet using a similar visible fee-based system that takes disposal pressure off local governments and offers consumers a convenient and environmentally responsible disposal system.
“The EPR bills pose a real threat to the entire industry as more and more states look to industry to fund their used-product disposal costs,” Trainer said. “We call upon all mattress manufacturers and retailers to contact their elected officials to explain how state EPR approaches are wrong and a national solution is needed.”
LEARN MORE
Details of ISPA’s proposed federal legislation, the Used Mattress Recycling Act, were shared with the industry during ISPA EXPO 2012 in March and will be explained in upcoming regional meetings. For more information, check the weekly ISPA Insider e-newsletter or the ISPA website at www.sleepproducts.org.
