| The average life of your mattress is about ten | | | | you only have a need once every ten years or |
| years which means that for each decade of your | | | | so for each of the beds in your home. However, |
| life a mattress disposition decision has most likely | | | | with some creativity and commitment, and a lot |
| been made. That decision may well have been to | | | | of political savvy, your community should be able |
| keep on using the mattress as it really isn't that | | | | to organize a community level mattress recycling |
| bad yet, or it could be replacement of that bed | | | | program for everyone who lives there. This may |
| set with a newer, cleaner, larger or more back | | | | be easy to do if your community mattress |
| supportive bed set that lets you sleep better. | | | | collection point is the local landfill or if the |
| These may be in family decisions such as moving | | | | community already has recycling centers and/or |
| up from crib to accepting the older sibling's | | | | programs in-place. |
| hand-me-down or even a thrift store purchase. | | | | Your community may desire to borrow the Biblical |
| There are other options as well to include buying | | | | "What goes around, comes around" approach, by |
| brand new bed sets. Sometimes mattress | | | | identifying and legislating that the very same |
| disposition decisions are necessitated by | | | | businesses who sell you mattresses - just like |
| environmental conditions such as bed bugs, water | | | | tires - collect a reasonable fee to accept and |
| damage or other physical damage to the | | | | recycle your old mattress, box springs and similar |
| mattress. | | | | stuffed furniture. |
| Every year, tons of good material that could be | | | | Once your community identifies one or more |
| recycled are not, and thus end up clogging our | | | | convenient places to recycle your old mattress, |
| already overwhelmed dumps, waterways and | | | | this will be the turning point in your community to |
| roadsides. Most people think it's a difficult and | | | | end illegal roadside dumping of eyesore |
| expensive to recycle their mattresses, bed | | | | mattresses. |
| springs or similar stuffed furniture. While this | | | | You'll feel better about yourself doing your part to |
| assumption may currently be true in your locale, | | | | care for the environment as a result, too. Oh yes, |
| in behooves all of us to know of the mattress | | | | and there is one more personal benefit to |
| recycling efforts underway to change this | | | | recycling mattresses which unlike many other |
| situation. After all, you do care about the | | | | recyclables - do hog up a lot of space once they |
| environment - don't you? | | | | are no longer used - and the number one location |
| To eliminate mattress illegal roadside dumping and | | | | in the home where used mattresses eat up your |
| keep mattresses, box springs and similar stuffed | | | | floor space is of course the garage. |
| furniture out of licensed landfill is a cultural problem | | | | Get your family and community actively involved |
| best addressed at the community or higher level | | | | in the mattress recycling process. Make sure they |
| similarly to how tire recycling is already being | | | | all are aware of that mattresses can now be |
| addressed. | | | | recycled and the cotton, foam, steel, and other |
| Your undertaking to organize a mattress recycling | | | | contents made useful again. |
| center in your home is not financially prudent as | | | | |