Mattresses are made up almost entirely of recyclable materials. Once disassembled, up to 95 percent of mattress components can be recycled. At the same time, discarded mattresses and box springs can be notoriously difficult to manage. They are expensive to transport, take up a lot of space in landfills, are hard to compact, and can get caught in incinerator processing equipment. All of these factors result in higher disposal costs. So, recycling or reuse only makes sense.
A Lot of What You Sleep on Can be Recycled
Most mattress and box spring components can be easily disassembled and recycled. The materials they are made of can be used to manufacture a variety of new products.
| Component (by Weight) |
End Uses |
|---|---|
| Box Springs & Steel Inner-Springs (48%) | Often made from recycled scrap steel to begin with, these can be recycled and made into new steel. |
| Mattress Foam (28%) | May be ground up, mixed with binders, and formed into carpet padding or cushions. |
| Fabrics & Fibers (14%) | A variety of fibers found in mattresses can be recycled into industrial filters or padding. |
| Box Spring Foundation Wood (5%) | Wood may be chipped and used as animal bedding, mulch, or biomass fuel. |
Options for Mattress & Box Spring Recycling
Donate to a Charity. Use MassDEP's Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory to find organizations near you that accept mattresses.
Ask if Your City or Town Has a Program. Call your local board of health or public works department to find out whether your municipality is enrolled in the MassDEP Mattress Recycling Incentive grant program, which subsidizes mattress recycling. See SMRP Municipal Grants 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 a vendor to either accept mattresses on a per-unit basis or provide collection container rental and hauling. There are currently three mattress recyclers on this state contract:
| Ace Mattress Enterprises LLC (Price Per Unit: $10) 14 Clyde Street West Warwick, RI 02893 Contact: Adriane Catlin, 401-640-2725 |
| Raw Material Recovery Corp. (Price Per Unit: $13) 461 West Broadway Gardner, MA 01440 Contact: Debra Peloquin, 978-730-8266 |
| UTEC Inc. / United Teen Equality Center (Price Per Unit: $16) 35 Warren Street Lowell, MA 01825 Contact: UTEC Web Site, 978-856-3997 |
Find a Commercial Mattress Recycler. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is free assistance program designed to help businesses and institutions maximize recycling, reuse and composting opportunities. Its web site includes a Recycling Provider Search for looking up companies that process a wide range of materials, including mattresses.