Mattress Recycling Council Increases Connecticut Program’s Recycling Rate for Fifth Consecutive Year

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): As the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) completed its fifth year of operations in Connecticut, the industry-led nonprofit’s latest annual report to state officials highlighted year-over-year improvements in the Bye Bye Mattress program’s recycling rate, an increase in the units collected and the comprehensive coverage of the collection network’s footprint.

During the reporting period, MRC’s recyclers achieved a 73% recycling rate, a 6-percentage point increase from the previous period. It is the largest year-over-year gain for the program which has steadily increased the recycling rate each year since Bye Bye Mattress began in 2015. “MRC and the mattress industry are committed to continuous improvement by investing in important research,” said MRC’s Managing Director Mike O’Donnell. “Current projects are focused on creating new end markets for mattress materials and encouraging manufacturers to consider recycling challenges when designing new products that promote a circular economy.”

MRC also reported a 2.9% increase in units collected to 189,492, resulting in the reclamation of 3,403 tons of steel, foam, fibers and wood. Since 2015, more than three quarters of a million mattresses have been collected in Connecticut and over 14,000 tons of materials recycled into new consumer and industrial products such as filters, insulation, carpet padding and steel rebar. MRC attributes this success to the high performing collection network.

Over the last five years, MRC has recruited hundreds of municipal transfer stations, waste haulers, nonprofit organizations, mattress retailers, hotels, universities and hospitals to recycle through Bye Bye Mattress. Residents in 136 municipalities can drop off old mattresses at no-cost collection sites, collection events or through their municipality’s bulky item curbside program. This comprehensive network provides coverage to 97.7% of the state’s residents.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com