Over the past decade, more than 555 million pounds of steel, foam, fiber, and wood have been kept out of California landfills and put to good use.
It has all been done with the help of the Mattress Recycling Council—a nonprofit organization created by the International Sleep Products Association—which has recycled more than 14 million mattresses in the state.
Alongside bedding industry leaders and City of San Diego officials, MRC recently celebrated 10 years of the Bye Bye Mattress program in California at one of the largest and most active collection sites in the state—San Diego’s Miramar Landfill.
Since joining MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program in 2023, San Diego has reduced its illegal dumping by 41% and recycled more than 51,000 mattresses. “We are thrilled about the public’s enthusiastic participation in mattress recycling,” says Julie Sands, recycling program manager for the City of San Diego Environmental Services Department. “San Diegans are keeping our communities cleaner by helping us reduce waste and keep these bulky items out of the landfill, or worse yet, on the side of the road.”
“MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program has proven year after year that it can serve California well. No matter where a consumer looks to get rid of their mattress, we are facilitating a way to get it to a recycler,” adds Alison Keane, president of ISPA and MRC. “The bedding industry is committed to seeing that mattress recycling continues to flourish.”
As MRC enters its second decade, Californians continue to have several easy ways to recycle through the Bye Bye Mattress program, which provides drop-off locations and works with communities that offer curbside collection. More than 99% of Californians live within 15 miles of a collection site like Miramar Landfill or a community collection event, and many cities offer free curbside pickup and collection events for bulky items, including mattresses.
In addition to these options, California mattress shoppers can have their retailer pick up and recycle their old mattress. State law requires any retailer that delivers a new mattress to also offer to pick up an old one at no additional cost, whether the mattress was purchased in-store or online.
Good Information
The Mattress Recycling Council’s annual reports for California and Oregon are now available online. Visit mattressrecyclingcouncil.org/programs/california/public-documents or mattressrecyclingcouncil.org/programs/oregon/public-documents.
Talking Point
When a mattress is recycled, up to 75% of its materials become new products. Foam and fibers are incorporated into carpet padding; the innersprings are used in numerous products made from scrap steel; and the wood from box springs is chipped for use as mulch or biomass fuel.
