Mattress Recycling Crisis

Estimated Costs Needed to Raise

$250,000

Received Towards Initiative

$0

Mattress Disposal

For most of us when it comes time to replace our mattress we simply throw it in the trash. We don’t even consider what happens to them after they’re picked up. We just know we got rid of a mattress- stained and no longer comfortable because it’s old.

With our new mattress in place, we‘re happy- even blissful with a more restful night’s sleep. However, is this the right decision- the correct mindset? Most mattresses are not designed for easy cleaning or transportation. Not to mention the strained backs from moving these heavy, awkward objects through narrow corridors or up steep staircases. And then having to remove it after several years have passed! But the most serious difficulty is the environmental damage that results from depositing mattresses in landfills. They are really only 60% trash in most cases. The springs in a section of the mattress give way- and lo and behold it’s been replaced with a new one. This is a costly process. Because of inflation the price will always increase.

Mattress Recycling Crisis

An excellent article detailing the mattress crisis and listing the companies that are searching for a solution can be found at: https://blog.myessentia.com/the-mattress-landfill-crisis/.

There are many other articles discussing the landfill problem and the ways it may be affecting our planet’s health. The production of mattresses, as well, contributes to global warming. You can learn a lot from simple research- but if you look beyond these unpleasant truths, solutions are always possible.

Mall of Hopes Plan to Solve the Mattress Recycling Crisis

From the start, Mall of Hope has had more in mind than creating a basic format for taking old mattresses apart and turning them into something else. This is only a first step that partially solves the problem. We need to look ahead. As the population grows we’ll need to keep finding more and more effective solutions to the recycling problem.

But first we need to diagnose all the issues that are contributing to the problems of our current system. Not only are they hard to clean, there is the inconvenience of moving them into the correct location within a home. Mattresses particularly pose difficulties for the elderly, who must get help or hire someone to lift and place them. Then there is the problem of discarding an entire mattress when there are parts of it that are still good. This is a waste of money and resources, as well as adding to landfills.

There are solutions to these problems. Mattresses should be designed so you could return them or at least a defective part. This could be helpful, but we need to take it one step further. Offer a discount if the old mattress is returned when it is replaced with a new one. It would be like offering a rebate or deduction on the cost of a battery or ink cartridge for a printer. We came up with the perfect solution by looking at nature around us bees how they make a beehive by creating comb like structures side by side attaching them individually till they have a whole required area built. However, in order to realize this solution we need funds to set it up.

There are other benefits from this plan. Not only will it cut down on landfill waste, but also create another funding source for the non profit that makes it self sustaining. The proceeds could be used to clear up the mattresses left in landfills and finding uses for them.

Under some circumstances mattresses cannot be salvaged: if there are bugs in it or indelible stains - like blood. However, we can drastically cut back and clean up this unnecessary waste.

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