Mattress Recycling Training Program

We offer other communities and social organizations the opportunity to successfully start and run a mattress recycling program that provides a simple low-tech solution to mattress recycling – a solution that enables communities in BC’s interior to deal with mattresses.

Benefits of this program to organization

  • Simple low-tech solution
  • Low cost and easy to start up
  • Provides jobs for people with barriers to employment
  • Local
  • Flexible
  • Start Small

Benefits to landfill sites

  • Low cost and effort to run
  • Flexible to suit different landfill sites and volumes
  • Separates waste
  • Provides metal and wood for revenue
  • Removes bulks items
  • Reduces sinkholes

PACE has run a successful mattress disassembly social enterprise for more than 10 years.

While conducting a survey of regional districts in the southern interior of BC for a different project, we discovered that many communities are not recycling the mattresses coming to their landfills; they are instead being landfilled. This is a significant issue for landfills as mattresses take up a lot of airspace.

Our program is simple, cost effective and low-tech. We give you all the tools and information you need to start and and sustain a mattress disassembly social enterprise in your community, that has positive social and environmental impacts.

Mattresses in Landfills

Mattresses are one of the most problematic items in landfill due to the sheer amount of volume and airspace they take up. Low compaction rates and long decomposure time add to the problem, and they are very hard on landfill equipment. Some statistics about mattresses:

  • Average cubic square feet of volume: 23
  • Compaction rate compared to regular garbage: 400% lower
  • Time it takes for a mattress to completely decompose: 80 to 120 years

The good news is that up to 95% of mattress components can be recycled (wood, metal, fabric).  

Depending on the mattress type, the materials that can be recycled include:

  • Foam: The foam used in the comfort layer of the mattress can be compressed to make carpet padding, oil filters, mats, and upholstery stuffing.
  • Fabric: The exterior fabric, whether it’s natural or synthetic, can be shredded and made into other textiles.
  • Metal: Innerspring mattresses can have as much as 25 pounds of steel coils. Once removed, these coils can be melted down to make tools, construction materials, and auto parts.
  • Wood: The wooden frame of a box spring can be used in flooring or chipped to be used as mulch or compost.

Rusty Springs Mattress Recycling Simple Solution

Our Rusty Springs Mattress Recycling Program provides a simple low-tech solution to mattress recycling – a solution that enables smaller or more remote communities in BC to create employment opportunities while keeping recyclable material out of the landfill. 

Benefits of this program to your community

  • Creates meaningful employment for people living with barriers
  • Keeps high volume recyclable material out of the landfill
  • Low cost and simple to run
  • Flexible to suit different needs of the workers and the landfills

Is your community a candidate?

Many communities in the lower mainland have a variety of mattress recycling options like sending mattresses to a shredding facility.  However, these options may be prohibitive in the rest of BC, due to high transport costs and road closures/delays due to more frequent weather events.  We provide a simple, cost-effective, and low-tech option to recycle onsite at local landfills.

The community benefits with new employment opportunities for the local labour market and makes a significant environmental impact.

 

 

For more information on how you can start your own mattress recycling program, contact Stacey Rexin at staceyrPACE@gmail.com.

We make a meaningful difference:

Our Supporters

Thank you to our supporters, who help create positive social and environmental change! You are a big part of our village!

THANK YOU

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