Contact:
Bob Wall/Sustainable Fairfield Task Force
(203) 581-0006
Give an Old Mattress or Box Spring a “Green” Second Life;
SFTF sponsors mattress collection and recycling event on Sept. 18
Fairfield, CT, August 31, 2021 – Getting ready to dispose of an old mattress or box spring? You can arrange to have your item recycled for a useful second life by dropping it off at a free, Town-wide mattress collection event to be held on Saturday, September 18 from 9 am to 1 pm at Veteran's Park, 909 Reef Road.
The event is sponsored by the Sustainable Fairfield Task Force (SFTF) in cooperation with the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC), a nonprofit organization formed by the mattress industry to operate recycling programs in states that have enacted mattress recycling laws, currently including Connecticut as well as California and Rhode Island. Each state’s program is funded by a recycling fee collected when consumers buy a mattress or box spring.
Any mattress, no matter when it was purchased, can be brought to the event for no-cost recycling, assuming it is not damaged, heavily soiled or posing other health or safety risks.
An Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Disposal
Disposing of mattresses and box springs can be challenging for municipalities as well as individuals. They cannot readily be placed in landfills, and also cannot be easily compressed and crushed for incineration, notes the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. However, recycling is increasing as an alternative to landfilling or incineration. Seventy-five percent or more of a mattress’ components can be recycled; materials such as the steel, foam, fiber and wood can be made into
many other useful products.
“This event makes mattress disposal easy, economical and good for the environment,” said Bob Wall, SFTF chairman. “By reducing the amount of waste Fairfield ships to incineration facilities, recycling mattresses also saves the Town money on disposal fees.”
To learn more about the benefits of mattress recycling, please visit the Mattress Recycling Council Website.
The SFTF provides support for Town practices and projects that can help Fairfield manage its growth to safeguard the health of its environment, ensure the reliability and economical use of its natural resources, and preserve the quality of life of its residents – today and for the future. For more information, please visit https://www.fairfieldct.org/sftf