VISTA–San Diego county residents dropped off their used, unwanted mattresses and box springs at a free mattress collection event Saturday in Vista.
The Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress Program partnered with Sen. Patricia Bates (R-36th District) for the recycling event that was held at a parking lot at Vista High School.
Workers also collected foam, steel, wood, cotton and other fibers from old mattresses that can be recycled and turned into everyday products such as carpet padding, appliances, mulch and more.
Up to 80 percent of an old mattress can be recycled, according to the Mattress Recycling Council.
Workers remove an old mattress from a vehicle at Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress collection event. Photo courtesy of Mattress Recycling Council
When it comes to mattress recycling, California has become a national leader. In just the past two years, over 2 million used mattresses and box springs have been collected, resulting in more than 70 million pounds of steel, fiber, wood and foam being diverted from state landfills.
Established by law and operated by the non-profit Mattress Recycling Council, the Bye Bye Mattress Program uses a recycling fee collected on each mattress and box spring sold in the state.
The fee is used to establish free drop-off locations and collection events throughout the state, then transport collected units from these sites to companies that dismantle old mattresses, and recycle the materials.
Whether a city picks up a resident’s discarded mattress at curbside, a retailer takes it back with a new mattress purchase, or drop it off at a collection location.
Bye Bye Mattress diverts old mattresses from waste to recycling. California landfills are less crowded as old mattresses are recycled into new, useful products.
For information about mattress recycling, visit www.ByeByeMattress.com, or call 1-(855) 700-9973.
