The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) urges all Californians to take advantage of its Bye Bye Mattress program during Presidents Day weekend—one of the most popular times of the year for mattress sales.
MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress gives Californians with unwanted mattresses and box springs no-cost options for keeping their old ones out of the landfill including:
- Retailer take back: The California law that created MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program, requires any retailer offering to deliver a purchased mattress or box spring to also offer to take away an old one, at no additional cost. This applies to online purchases too. MRC encourages consumers to ask about take back during their purchase or delivery arrangements.
- Drop-off locations: There are more than 230 free-of-charge locations across California where residents can drop off an unwanted mattress or box spring. Visit ByeByeMattress.com to find the nearest site.
- Curbside collection providers: MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress receives mattresses from solid waste collectors that pick up bulky items at the curb. Use the curbside directory on ByeByeMattress.com to see if the provider in your area participates, as well as non-participants who offer at least one free pickup each year.
MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress has been a successful endeavor in California. Since the program launched in the state in 2016, more than 11 million mattresses have been collected for recycling and participating recyclers have diverted more than 431 million pounds of materials from landfill.
Up to 75% of a mattress’s components can be recycled into new products like carpet padding, insulation and mulch. Using the extracted steel, foam, fiber and wood to make new products instead of using new, raw materials saves water, conserves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program is funded through a state-approved $10.50 recycling fee that is collected on each mattress or box spring purchased by California consumers. The fee is used to establish free drop-off locations and collection events throughout the state, and transport collected units from these sites to companies that dismantle the discarded products and recycle the materials. The fee also provides services that enable mattress retailers, hotels, universities, healthcare facilities and military bases to recycle their discarded mattresses. Other portions of the fee are dedicated to combating illegal dumping and research efforts that improve the recycling process and recyclability of the component material.