Massachusetts Mattress Recycling Incentive Grant Program

NHDES Credits:  .75

Discarded mattresses pose a problem for municipalities. They are difficult to manage, expensive to transport, hard to compact, and take up a lot of space in landfills. They are also made up almost entirely of recyclable materials which makes them a good candidate for a special recycling program. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection launched a grant program in 2016 to divert mattresses and box springs from disposal. The program provides funding to municipalities to aid in the collection, transportation, and recycling of residential mattresses and box springs. The Mattress Recycling Incentive Program (MRI) has helped municipalities recycle 89,500 mattresses, diverting approximately 2,460 tons from disposal. We will cover the mattress component recycling markets and more.

Rachel Smith is a Regional Planner at the MA DEP.

Participants say:  "I learned about the process of mattress recycling in MA. I am interested to find out if there are any plans to do something similar in my state."