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.
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 and transport collected units to recyclers that dismantle the discarded products and prepare the materials for use in other products.
A state law enacted in 2022 called for the creation of an industry-led mattress recycling program. The Mattress Recycling Council—a nonprofit organization created by the International Sleep Products Association—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 semiannual events in nearly every county of the state, with more in the works.
Stacked one on top of the other, the more than 130,000 mattresses that Oregonians diverted from landfills in 2025 would equal the height of 10 Mount Hoods. (Mount Hood is 11,240 feet tall, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.) Laid end to end, they would stretch from Eugene to Medford, or Portland to Bend (around 165 miles).
Roughly 90,000 mattresses 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 such as 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,” Mike O’Donnell, MRC’s chief operating officer, said during a media event 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. Of the 130,000 mattresses and box springs collected through Dec. 31, 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.
- Recycling means less illegal dumping in local streets, parks, and riverbeds.
- Fewer mattresses are taking up space in landfills.
- Recycled mattress components can be used in place 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. In Oregon, 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.
“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 for Oregonians who face barriers to employment,” says Bethany Cartledge, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County. “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.”
For a list of Oregon retailers who are recycling customers’ unwanted mattresses with MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program, visit ByeByeMattress.com.
