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Discarded mattresses can be difficult to manage. They are expensive to transport, hard to compact, take up lots of landfill space, and can damage incinerator processing equipment. Yet mattresses are made up mostly of recyclable materials. Once disassembled, more than 75 percent of their components can be reused. This is better for the environment, the economy, and municipal waste management budgets.
November 1, 2022
MassDEP is expanding its waste disposal bans by:
For details and definitions, see the regulations.
See Additional Resources below to learn more.
Roughly three-quarters of all mattress and box spring components can be easily disassembled and recycled. The recovered materials are then used to manufacture a variety of new products.
Infographic Courtesy of the Mattress Recycling Council
Donate mattresses that are in good condition. Use the MassDEP Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory to find charities and organizations near you that accept them for reuse or recycling.
Take advantage of retailer haul-away. Most furniture and mattress sellers accept old mattresses for recycling and disposal when they deliver newly purchased mattresses to your home.
Find out if your city or town has a collection program. The map below shows Massachusetts communities that have notified MassDEP they provide for mattress recycling. Many of these municipalities have received grants from the agency in support of these efforts. Additional towns and cities may also have programs. Contact your local health, public works, or recycling department to learn more.
Find a commercial mattress recycler. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a free assistance program designed to help businesses and institutions maximize recycling, reuse, and composting opportunities. Its web site includes a Recycling Provider Search for locating companies that process a wide range of materials, including mattresses.
Help build the state's mattress recycling infrastructure. MassDEP offers Recycling & Reuse Business Development Grants that subsidize private sector efforts to expand collection of materials banned from disposal or transport for disposal in the state, including mattresses.
Apply for MassDEP grant funding. The Recycling Dividends Program (RDP) will provide payments to your municipality for implementing specific waste reduction, reuse, and recycling policies and programs. Your town or city may in turn use RDP funds toward specific solid waste management and recycling expenses, including collection, transportation, and processing of mattresses and other materials that are difficult to manage. See RDP & Small-Scale Initiative Approved Spending Categories and Additional Resources below to learn more.
Use a recycler on state contract. Municipalities and certain public entities may use the FAC90 Statewide Carpet & Mattress Recycling Services Contract to select vendors that either accept mattresses on a per-unit basis or provide collection container rental and hauling. Mattress recyclers currently on state contract include:
| Ace Mattress Enterprises LLC 1950 South County Trail East Greenwich, RI 02818 Contact: Adriane Catlin, 401-640-2725 |
| GGY Transport, LLC - Tough Stuff Recycling 145 Authority Drive Fitchburg, MA 01420 Contact: Rodney Clara, 800-273-4137 |
| HandUp US LLC 127 West Rodney French Boulevard New Bedford, MA 02744 Contact: Erik Dyson, 617-378-7619 |
| Raw Material Recovery Corp. 461 West Broadway Gardner, MA 01440 Contact: Debra Peloquin, 978-730-8266 |
| UTEC Inc. / United Teen Equality Center 35 Warren Street Lowell, MA 01825 Contact: Ricardo Febles, 978-856-3902 |
Effective November 1, 2022: Mattresses are banned from disposal or transport for disposal in Massachusetts.
See the MassDEP Mattress & Textile Waste Ban Communications Toolkit for images, materials, strategies, and tips for getting the word out about this change to the residents of your community.
Learn about your city or town's responsibilities for complying with the new provisions in Additional Resources below.
You may also review case studies of municipal and regional efforts to make mattress recycling easier for Bay Staters.
Learn how Massachusetts municipalities are making it easier for their own residents, and sometimes households from neighboring communities, to recycle mattresses.
