A long haul ... but well worth the miles logged

Betsi Robinson headshot

Betsi Robinson
Associate Editor

This month the state of Connecticut launches the nation’s first mattress-recycling program, a significant step forward for our industry. Reaching it took years of hard work on the part of many; mattress manufacturers, suppliers and retailers alike can take pride in this accomplishment.

“An important day like this would not have been possible without the support, creativity, hard work and guidance of a generation of ISPA’s members, the ISPA Board of Trustees and, most recently, the Mattress Recycling Council Board of Directors,” Ryan Trainer, president of the International Sleep Products Association, notes in a letter published on page 35 of this month’s print magazine.    

Next year, California and Rhode Island are expected to follow suit. These initiatives address a persistent industry problem, as well as protect our environment. The result should be far fewer used mattresses making their way into landfills or, worse, being dumped illegally along roadsides.

At least 15 million to 20 million mattresses and foundations are discarded every year in the United States. In Connecticut, many unwanted mattresses—along with their valuable resources—are lost to landfills and incineration. But beginning this month in Connecticut, thanks to the new program, much of the steel wire used to make mattress springs and box springs can be melted and formed into new products. Fabrics and fibers can be recycled into cushioning and other materials. Foams can be ground up, mixed with binders and formed into padding for carpeting. And wood from foundations can be chipped and used as animal bedding, mulch, even biomass fuel.

It’s worth pointing out that all this could have turned out quite differently. You may remember that ISPA, a longtime advocate of mattress recycling, opposed the first such bill put forth by Connecticut lawmakers in 2012. That’s because the measure would have saddled manufacturers with the entire cost of funding the program.

That bill ultimately died, but ISPA’s work was only beginning. ISPA developed a lobbying campaign to educate Connecticut lawmakers about why an “industry pays” model could create devastating consequences for mattress manufacturers. Members of ISPA visited the state capitol to drive home that point. And, with input from its stakeholders, ISPA negotiated with policymakers for months to craft sensible legislation that would limit government involvement and create a practical, cost-effective recycling system. That compromise measure created a dedicated funding mechanism, supported through a small fee collected at retail.

The rest, as they say, is history. MRC, a nonprofit, industry-led organization, was created to manage the recycling efforts for the states. It, in turn, worked with stakeholders to create a program that contracts with companies in each state to collect, haul and recycle old mattresses. (The fee also covers MRC’s overhead and expenses.) Accountability is built into the system as well—MRC must submit public reports each year detailing its collection and handling of the fees, allowing regulators, taxpayers and the industry to monitor its activities.

This effort is a prime example of the private sector stepping up and working collaboratively to provide its own solution to a long-term problem—and being good stewards of the environment.

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