NEWS RELEASE
EUGENE, ORE. – Oregon residents and businesses kept more than 130,000 old mattresses and box springs out of local landfills, streets, parks and riverbeds in 2025, the first full year of a new statewide mattress recycling program.
A state law enacted in 2022 called for the creation of an industry-led mattress recycling program. The nonprofit Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) worked with solid waste facilities, government agencies and nonprofits to build the Bye Bye Mattress program – a network of local, no-cost collection sites and annual or semi-annual events in nearly every county of the state, with more in the works.
Stacked one on top of the other, the 130,000 mattresses that Oregonians diverted from landfills in 2025 would equal the height of ten Mount Hoods. Laid end to end, they would stretch from Eugene to Medford, or Portland to Bend.
About 90,000 were dropped off by individuals at collection events and sites. The remaining 40,000 came through the program from businesses that deal with mattresses in bulk, including Oregon mattress stores, and places like hotels, schools and junk removal companies.
“Thanks to businesses and communities throughout the state, it’s more convenient than ever for Oregonians to keep mattresses out of landfills. We’re grateful for their efforts and look forward to welcoming more collection sites in the months to come,” said Mike O’Donnell, MRC’s Chief Operating Officer, at a media event today at St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County’s mattress recycling facility in Eugene.
Mattress collection through MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program began in Oregon on Jan. 1, 2025. Impact numbers released today are for Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. Of the 130,000 mattresses and box springs collected in 2025, more than 2,000 were donated for reuse or renovated. The remainder were recycled.
Mattress recycling brings big benefits to residents and communities:
- Dropping off mattresses for recycling is free at participating locations.
- Less illegal dumping in local streets, parks and riverbeds.
- Fewer mattresses taking up space in landfills.
Mattresses are recycled at St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County in Eugene, Environmentally Conscious Recycling in Portland, and Klamath Works in Klamath Falls.
Recycled mattress components can be used instead of virgin materials to make new products, which conserves water and energy. A mattress recycled through MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program is separated into steel, foam, fibers and wood that are incorporated into new steel products, carpet padding, insulation, biomass fuel and other products.
“At St. Vincent de Paul, we strive to turn the waste stream into an economic engine and community asset. Mattress recycling not only gives new life to material that would otherwise burden Oregon landfills, it creates second-chance jobs and career advancement opportunities to Oregonians who face barriers to employment. We believe strongly in the positive environmental impacts of our state’s mattress recycling program and know it will continue to provide ongoing community benefits in the years to come,” said Bethany Cartledge, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County.
Oregonians who plan to purchase a mattress should ask their retailer about mattress recycling. For a list of Oregon retailers who are recycling their customers’ unwanted mattresses with MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress, visit ByeByeMattress.com.
Oregon’s Mattress Stewardship Act is similar to laws in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island, where MRC also administers programs. MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program in Oregon is funded through a $22.50 fee that is collected when a mattress or box spring is purchased in the state. The fee is used to establish free drop-off locations and collection events, transport collected units to recyclers that dismantle the discarded products and prepare the materials for use in other products.
Since launching the first statewide program in 2015, MRC’s programs have recycled more than 17 million mattresses, saved 16.8 million cubic yards of landfill space and kept more than 650 million pounds of materials out of landfills.
About the Mattress Recycling Council
The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) is a nonprofit organization that operates recycling programs in states that have passed mattress recycling laws: Oregon, California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. MRC was founded by the bedding industry and recycles 2 million mattresses each year. More information at MattressRecyclingCouncil.org. To learn how to recycle your mattress or to find a collection location or event near you, visit ByeByeMattress.com.
