One of the keys to improving the furniture industry’s carbon footprint is the issue of mattress recycling in the United States. This is arguably one of the home furnishings industry’s most important, misunderstood, and overlooked environmental issues. It is estimated that, in 2025, approximately 20 million mattresses will be disposed of, with the overwhelming majority ending up in landfills.
The impact of mattress recycling has a profound negative effect on our planet’s ecosystem because it can take over 100 years for a mattress to decompose. Moreover, mattresses break down in landfills, releasing methane. This potent greenhouse gas contributes to global warming and exacerbates climate change with its associated impacts.
Mattresses decompose, releasing harmful gases that contribute to soil and water pollution. Discarded mattresses hold in leachate, a liquid that passes through the waste and contains dangerous contaminants. One irony is that landfills do not want mattresses, as the springs in the mattresses can get tangled in their equipment and cause severe damage to the machinery.
This is particularly true with the ever-increasing number of pocketed coils that are also more costly to recycle. Mattresses occupy an average of 400% more space than anything else around them. Some estimates indicate that burying a mattress can be more than twice as expensive as recycling it.
We have experienced a growing awareness about the importance of recycling plastic containers, paper products, and bottles. However, having owned and operated mattress retail showrooms since the 1980s, I genuinely believe that where a mattress goes after its removal is primarily out of sight and out of mind for most consumers and retailers.
Currently, only three states—California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (Oregon is coming on board)—have enacted mattress recycling initiatives requiring consumers to pay a recycling fee with the purchase of a new mattress and box foundation/spring.
The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) and its Bye Bye Mattress program should be commended for coordinating and administrating the recycling efforts in these states. However, even adding the population of Oregon to the three states with recycling laws, much work is needed. There remain 46 states that still do not have mattress recycling laws, which equals 85% of the country’s population.
I encourage all retailers in our industry that sell and dispose of mattresses for their customers to visit MattressRecyclingCouncil.org to learn more about the programs offered and how they are leading the effort to keep mattresses out of landfills and preserve our environment.
If your state does not have legislation in motion for mattress recycling laws, you could contact your local state senators or House of Representatives members inquiring if they would consider introducing legislation for mattress recycling.
For retailers offering mattress disposal for customers who have been sending disposals to landfills, consider finding the nearest mattress recycling facility near your store and exploring cost-effective ways to transport the old mattresses to the recycler.
If the nearest recycler is a long distance away, talk to them about putting a collection trailer at your store for pick up (or you could deliver to them when it is full). You can also arrange a transfer drop-off point to be shared with other retailers, creating another pathway to the recycler.
You could include in your advertising and marketing programs that you offer mattress recycling as a service. This might be why an eco-aware consumer will come to your store versus a competitor not offering recycling.
Responsible mattress disposal is an urgent environmental issue, and a lack of action will have long-term adverse consequences for the planet and the public’s health. I have every confidence that we could be leaders in the mattress recycling and sustainability movement and give back to the communities that support our businesses.
