New Sites Aim to Address Mattress Recycling/Disposal Issues

According to Nationwide Mattress Recycling, close to 4.5 million mattresses and 4.5 million box springs are sent to the landfill or incinerator every year in the United States. That amounts to 250 million pounds of mattresses annually. While nobody really knows how many of those mattresses come from lodging establishments, you can bet that a fair portion of them are from them. For hoteliers and innkeepers interested in doing what is environmentally responsible--recycling mattresses--it can be a challenge but it is possible. Several companies in the United States now provide nationwide pickup service and recycling for old mattresses. Click here to see one list of mattress recyclers. Click here for another list.

To help those interested in mattress recycling find information, share ideas, ask questions, and make new connections, the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) has just launched an ISPA Earth Facebook page and ISPA Earth LinkedIn Group. ISPA, in its announcement about the two social networking sites, stated the following: “Facebook and LinkedIn make communicating among manufacturers, consumers, recyclers and anyone in the business of making, buying, using and disposing of beds easy and fun. Please post questions and information about mattress recycling or other topics involving the environmental impact of mattresses, including new “greener” materials, better manufacturing practices that can reduce energy or water consumption, etc."

The social networking sites are just one small step in helping to alleviate the flow of mattresses to landfills. Kudos to ISPA for creating the two sites. I hope there is more to come regarding mattress recycling from ISPA and its members. Be sure to visit Green Lodging News later today to read a new article on mattress recycling. You will discover that it can actually be cheaper to recycle than landfill.