City of Springfield to offer mattress recycling beginning Friday

(From the City of Springfield)

Two City of Springfield recycling facilities will begin accepting mattresses and box springs  beginning Friday, March 23. 

Previously unavailable at Springfield recycling sites, mattress recycling services will now be offered at the City’s Lone Pine Avenue Recycling Center (3020 S. Lone Pine Avenue) and the Springfield Sanitary Landfill for a $15 fee per piece, regardless of size.    

According to Cascade Alliance, a national leader in mattress recycling, Americans dispose of an estimated 20 million mattresses and box springs every year, and the vast majority end up in landfills or incinerators. Bulky mattresses are problematic for landfills: they take up a lot of space and create flammable air pockets, and the box springs get tangled in bulldozers, often damaging them. Mattresses contain nonbiodegradable synthetic foam and fibers, plus flame retardant chemicals.

“Mattresses are difficult to dispose of and often dumped,” explains Superintendent of Solid Waste Erick Roberts. “They are hard to handle in the landfills because they don’t compact well and they’re hard on machinery. We think offering a local mattress recycling option will be a great addition to our menu of public services and will help free up space in the landfill.” 

Collection and processing will be provided via a new contract with BedHead Mattress Recycling. Mattresses will be transported to BedHead’s facility in Billings, then deconstructed. Components are processed, shipped and ultimately become raw materials utilized by a number of manufacturers in products such as construction materials, wood chip mulch and more.

About Springfield’s Integrated Solid Waste Management System

The Lone Pine Avenue Recycling Center and the Springfield Sanitary Landfill are part of the City’s voter-approved Integrated Solid Waste Management System, which manages and reduces Springfield’s waste stream. The system is funded primarily by landfill fees and the sale of mulch and compost products at the Yardwaste Recycling Center. The system includes the Franklin Avenue Recycling Center, Yardwaste Recycling Center, Household Chemical Collection Center, Public Education and Market Development Programs. Curbside recycling is offered by private solid waste service providers.

Directions to the Springfield Sanitary Landfill:

From the intersection of Highway 13 and U.S. Highway I-44, travel nine miles north, turn left/west onto Farm Road 34, following the signs to the Landfill.

Directions to the Lone Pine Avenue Recycling Center (3020 S. Lone Pine Ave.):

Just a few feet south of the Lone Pine Avenue/Battlefield Road intersection in southeast Springfield. From U.S. 65, take the Battlefield exit west to Lone Pine Avenue.