Over the past several weeks I have been educated about mattresses. Sounds like a sleeper to you maybe, but in the recycling world mattresses are a big problem.
Picture a dump site with piles of mattresses.
Those mattresses would sit there almost forever and take up more space to boot. In addition mattress can not be compacted so they take up a lot of space at the landfill.
Well, I met a guy who is working hard to fight this issue. He is Chuck Brickman from OHIO Mattress Recovery and Recycling. His company is working hard to keep mattresses out of the waste stream.
Chuck says that 94% of the materials in mattresses is recyclable. He has sources for each of the materials that are removed from each mattress. The fiber covering gets reclaimed. The springs are taken to a metal recycler. And any wood from the box springs are used mainly for fire wood.
He is currently working with colleges and universities to add mattress recycling to their sustainability and green programs. Other sources are hotels and motels who may be upgrading their rooms.
Chuck has just updated the web site for Ohio Mattress Recovery and Recycling to give his customers a better understanding of his business. He also has a blog now, which allows him to regularly update on the progress of this important green business. Stop by and check out his web page to see what happens to mattresses.
Keep up the good work Chuck!
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