As states reopen, many communities are realizing they must deal with littering and illegal dumping on their road to recovery. We have learned a lot about illegal dumping as we have developed and grown our state recycling programs and have spearheaded and supported efforts to mitigate and prevent this behavior. Most recently we published a white paper, “Best Practices in Addressing Illegal Dumping of Durable Waste,” authored by Dr. Calvin Lakhan and Nana Adjei, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University in Toronto, Ontario. It recommends policymakers use a coordinated approach to combat illegal dumping in urban and rural communities. This theme was echoed in California’s Inaugural Statewide Conference on Illegal Dumping hosted last month by Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ Nate Miley. Furthermore, our involvement with illegal dump task forces and stakeholders in hard-hit areas led us to develop a lesson plan to educate students about recycling, the impact of illegal dumping and what happens to waste in a landfill. We urge you to take advantage of these newest resources and our expertise to clean up your community. Learn more about how we are leading the way to address illegal mattress dumping here.
Local Leaders
MRC’s White Paper Examines Illegal Dumping of Durable Waste
To help policymakers and other stakeholders better understand why people illegally dump bulky items like auto parts, household appliances and furniture, the Mattress Recycling Council released a white paper, “Best Practices in Addressing Illegal Dumping of Durable Waste.” Authored by Dr. Calvin Lakhan and Nana Adjei, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University in Toronto, Ontario, the white paper suggests numerous potential strategies that create a coordinated approach to preventing and deterring this behavior. A panel of experts assembled by AlphaSights also contributed to the paper’s development. An executive summary and the full white paper are available here.
Let’s Work Together
We can help Mayors, City Council Members and County Officials communicate to constituents about mattress recycling and proper mattress disposal. We have ready to use content for your newsletters, website, social media and more! Email info@byebyemattress.com to get started.
Mattress Retailers
Let Us Know How We Are Doing
MRC conducts customer service outreach to provide support, resources and the latest program details to registered retailer participants. Customer Relations Specialist Paris Gholston is calling every registered retailer and emailing a short survey. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, order customer education materials, review obligations, confirm contact information and make sure you are up-to-date with program changes. Take a moment to speak with her when she calls or return your emailed survey.
Be Prepared for a CalRecycle Inspection
CalRecycle conducts inspections to enforce a level playing field and to verify that all mattress retailers are in compliance with the law. Inspections are conducted randomly throughout California. During an inspection, you will be asked to demonstrate compliance. Depending on your business’ role in the selling, manufacturing, renovating or distribution of mattresses, this could include: proof of registration with MRC, proof of fee collection, awareness of manufacturer/brand compliance and website monitoring, and that you are offering no-cost used mattress take back when delivering new mattresses.
After the inspection, CalRecycle will send a follow-up report. If any violations are found, they can impose penalties of up to $5,000 per day.
Consult MRCreporting.org’s Account Guidelines for how to retrieve requested information or contact support@mattressrecyclingcouncil.org.
Collection Network
MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress Offers Free Lesson Plan
This month, we published an original lesson plan for youth and young adults to learn about recycling, the impact of illegal dumping and what happens to waste in a landfill. Over the course of the pandemic, MRC worked with a local teacher and environmental justice advocate in Fresno, California, to develop a series of activities that help students become more observant of their own waste generation and discover how to recycle items that cannot be placed inside of a bin, like mattresses. Along the way, they will learn about the impact of illegal dumping on the environment and what happens to recyclable materials that are landfilled.
Download or print this free lesson plan and share with teachers, volunteers and educational leaders you may know.
Research
Fostering Collaboration on a Global Stage
MRC recently met with furniture and mattress industry leaders from France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, India, Canada and the United States to share and gain knowledge about global mattress recycling best practices and research efforts. We explored many innovative ideas and projects to improve recycling rates and decrease transportation and recycling costs. Also discussed were various life cycle analysis projects to measure the environmental impacts of mattress recycling and methods for encouraging sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing. Learn more about MRC’s research achievements and activities here.
New Collection Sites
Welcome South Tahoe Refuse Transfer Station
2140 Ruthe Ave.
South Lake, CA 96150
Visit their listing on the Bye Bye Mattress website for more details.
Upcoming Events
Southern California Waste Management Forum Webinar
June 7, 11:30 am – 1 pm PST