Los Angeles, CA – As of December 30th, California became the second state in the nation with a statewide recycling program for used mattresses and box springs. The program, known as Bye Bye Mattress, allows California residents to drop-off used mattresses at participating collection sites and recycling facilities for free. Today, government officials, municipal and solid waste representatives and the mattress industry gathered at Grand Central Recycling & Transfer Station in Industry City to officially launch the new mattress recycling program. Guests were also informed on how a mattress is deconstructed and recycled and there were samples of raw materials to touch and feel—cotton, coconut husk, urethane foam, memory foam, mattress topper, felt, metal springs and wood.
“In California, we are now going to do better. This new program balances landfill pressures and environmental objectives with industry concerns. It incentivizes Californians to recycle used mattresses, thus easing the burden on our landfills and communities, while retaining valuable employers, creating new jobs and business opportunities,” stated former Senator and Congressional Candidate, Lou Correa.
The event included remarks from Lou Correa as well as:
– Ryan Trainer, President of the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC)
– Andrew Palomares, Grand Central Recycling
– Richard Diamonstein, Paramount Sleep and MRC Chairman
The program diverts old mattresses from waste to recycling so California landfills will be less crowded as old mattresses are recycled into new, useful products. Residents can find their nearest participating collection site or recycling facility at www.byebyemattress.com.
Bye Bye Mattress is administered by the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC), a nonprofit organization created by the mattress industry to develop and manage the recycling program mandated by law in 2013. The program is funded through an $11 recycling fee that is collected when a mattress or box spring is sold to California consumers. Consumers will notice this fee as a separate line item on their receipt. The fee is used to pay for transporting and recycling the discarded mattresses—ultimately making recycling easier for California residents.