Bed-der Method Found For Handling Old Mattresses

New Haven’s landfill might have had 139,000 pounds more waste it in it — if not for 2,600 mattresses that have been recycled since January 2019.

The recycling happened thanks to a statewide effort called Bye Bye Mattress. Officials are trying to get the word out so more people know about recycling their old mattresses — which helps protect the environment.

On a rainy Thursday morning, Pierre Barbour was surveying the collection site at the Middletown Avenue’s transfer station. Garbage trucks drove through the front entrance to the weighing station, where they were emptied and sent out again. As Barbour walked around, he greeted each truck driver with enthusiasm: ​“How are you doing, brother?”

Barbour, executive director of the New Haven Solid Waste and Recycling Authority, oversees the transfer station, which processes 85,000 tons of municipal solid waste. His goal is to decrease as much waste as possible.

“By 2024, our goal is to get 60 percent of waste diverted away from landfills,” he said. ​“Programs like Bye Bye Mattress are crucial to reaching that number.”

Bye Bye Mattress began in 2014, when the state legislature made mattress producers responsible for ​“end-of-life costs.”

The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) was created to oversee mattress recycling programs. The MRC is a nonprofit, its programs funded by a recycling fee on each new mattress, about $9 per unit.

The MRC runs the Bye Bye Mattress program, which subsequently stepped up to help keep mattresses out of landfills.

“Basically, residents bring old mattresses to our site and deposit them in a recycling container,” Barbour said of Bye Bye Mattress. ​“The container is shut to make sure the mattresses don’t get dirty or wet.” Beyond individuals, the program also partners with larger organizations: Health centers, hotels and universities, for example, recycle large quantities of mattresses.

Once there are enough mattresses to fill a recycling container, they are taken to a recycling center. Dan McGowan, Northeast Program Coordinator, oversees the program across the state. ​“The mattresses aren’t just reused,” he said. ​“They’re completely broken down, separated into metal, wood, and cotton.” This process is fairly quick, he added, mentioning that ​“the crews start work on the mattresses the day they’re brought in.”

After the mattress is broken down, the parts are sent to their respective recycling centers where they are reprocessed into various products.

“That’s when the springs in your mattress becomes a metal tube or bar,” said McGowan.

McGowan emphasized that the process is sanitary: the cotton and outer parts are completely bleached. Barbour echoed this comment. ​“Many people are worried that their mattresses are used to sleep, so they’re dirty,” he said. ​“But we separate the mattress into parts, so there’s always utility.”

Bye Bye Mattress has had a big impact on freeing space in landfills, where mattresses are inherently one of the bulkiest items. In Connecticut, 136 communities have direct drop-off sites (such as New Haven’s) or community collection events. Over the state, the program has saved 778,084 mattresses from going to waste, or about 13,000 tons of waste, since its inception.

“By recycling mattresses, you’re directly saving municipal tax dollars,” Barbour added. ​“Disposal waste streams cost about $90 per ton, but the MRC program is already paid for by the mattress recycling fee.”

“The general public, sadly, isn’t as aware about the program as I’d like,” said Barbour. Too often, people leave their mattresses out for the trash collector, where they become wet and dirty.

“Once they’re exposed to the elements for a long time, there’s nothing we can do with them,” Barbour said as he pointed to a pile of trashed mattresses. ​“We have to separate them out from the rest of the trash because they’re so bulky. You can see how much unnecessary waste is created.”

Local outreach is often done through social media and the collection site’s webpage, Barbour mentioned. On Oct. 24, the group will host a ​“Hometown Recycling Program” at Truman School. Barbour said he hopes that this will be the first of many community events where residents can learn more about recycling and environmental responsibility.

“We’ll have textile, mattress, and electronics recyclers on hand so people can see the process,” he said. ​“We’re hoping to create a sense of community and responsibility to recycle.”