MRC’s research drives smarter mattress recycling—boosting efficiency in collection and dismantling while creating new markets for reclaimed materials.
The focus of 45
completed projects:
Collection:
Improve mattress quality
and decrease
handling times
Transportation:
Reduce transportation
costs and
carbon impacts
Deconstruction:
Lean manufacturing,
fire safety
assessments,
automation
End Markets:
Innovative ways
to repurpose
mattress materials
Among the 45
research projects,
a variety of
interesting concepts
have been explored
to find new uses
for mattress foam
and textiles.
Some ideas
pushed the limits
of imagination
and technology
but have been
put on the shelf
because the
commercial market
is not there –
at least at the moment.
Instead,
this report will focus
on projects with
commercial potential.
Vitrimerization
MRC funded Vitricycle's research to transform mattress foam into
base polymers.
· A Houston pilot facility is now manufacturing vitrimerized polymers from post-consumer mattress foam.
· This process has the potential to be a
MAJOR end-of-life outlet for mattress foam.
Oleo Sponge
MRC funded research at Arizona State University to chemically modify mattress foam to be used for oil spill clean-ups.
· $2 billion potential global market
· ASU seeking development partners
· Patent pending
Powdered
Mattress Foam
Mechanically Ground Functionalized Foam
With MRC support, RoCo developed a process to produce mechanically ground functionalized foam.
· Polyurethane mattress foam is ground into a powder the size of a grain of sand.
· Testing underway in target applications.
· Possible applications include fillers in cement and rigid foam or as an additive in coatings, engineered plastics, adhesives, and sealants.
· The powders could also be used to make new mattress foam.
Life Cycle Analysis
Much can be saved with just one recycled mattress. Take a look:
· One recycled mattress saves 500 gallons of water.
· One mattress saves the amount of power needed to light a home for three days.
· Recycling one mattress reduces greenhouse gas emissions as if we drove 60 fewer miles.
Commercial Volume Program
Of the 17.2 million mattresses MRC has recycled since 2015, CVP – our shorthand for the Commercial Volume Program – has recycled almost 25% of them. That’s 4.4 million mattresses!
The goal of CVP is to capture large volumes of old mattresses from retailers, educational institutions, hotels, healthcare facilities, and the military before they are thrown away. Private haulers who collect mattresses from residences and businesses and deliver directly to our recyclers are another significant source of CVP volume.
CVP Program
Mattress Collections
by Year
During our first year, we collected 421,803 mattresses and box springs.
After a decade, MRC is growing bigger and doing more than ever.
After 10 Years,
CVP Nears
5,000,000
Recycled Mattresses
LIFETIME CVP
PICK-UPS
by State
California
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Oregon
4.4 MILLION MATTRESSES
SINCE 2016
Program Lifetime
CVP by Sector
Retailer
3,794,388 mattresses
Retailers commonly take back old mattresses when a new one is delivered, and they are our largest source of CVP volume. In some cases, retailers choose to serve as centralized collection locations for other businesses in their community or as public drop-off sites.
Other
288,445 mattresses
In this sector, the mattresses are collected primarily from private junk haulers who transport them directly to a recycler. Also included in this category: apartment property managers (excluding California), moving and storage companies, non-profit organizations, and housing authorities.
Lodging
157,277 mattresses
As hotels refurbish guest rooms or simply update their beds, MRC has recycled many mattresses for a variety of lodging establishments – some small, some very large, some mom-and-pops, and some with international marques.
Education
104,310 mattresses
MRC collects mattresses from colleges and boarding schools that are replacing mattresses in their dorms. The mattresses may come from a small prep school or a massive dorm at a major public university.
Military
72,947 mattresses
MRC has collected used mattresses from every U.S. Armed Services branch. Mattresses are collected from Naval vessels and from barracks.
Healthcare
9,572 mattresses
Mattresses are collected from various healthcare facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes.
4.4 MILLION MATTRESSES
SINCE 2016
Program Lifetime
CVP by Sector
CVP BREAKDOWN
FOR EACH
State
California
Lifetime CVP by Sector
3.7 million mattresses since 2016
Connecticut
Lifetime CVP by Sector
491,000 mattresses since 2016
Rhode Island
Lifetime CVP by Sector
141,000 mattresses since 2017
Oregon
First Year CVP by Sector
41,800 mattresses in 2025
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