Up to 90% of mattress materials can be recovered and recycled. This includes timber, coir, metal and foam.
With an estimated 300,000 units discarded annually, this would equate to around 7 million kilograms of materials being diverted from landfill.
Not to mention employment for social enterprise, fewer virgin materials required and lower carbon emissions as we reuse or recycle the materials.
Would you like to recycle your old mattress?
There is currently no mattress recycling in New Zealand. That’s a real shame because a large portion of mattress materials are highly recyclable.
In 2015, 3R Group worked with importers, manufacturers and retailers to see if, together, we could create a product stewardship programme for mattresses. The Rebound project would have meant you could return your old mattress for recycling when you no longer needed it. The cost of this would most likely have been included in the sale price of new mattresses.
We haven’t given up hope that the industry can come together to make this a reality.
If you would like to see importers, manufacturers and retailers get back together to create a programme for mattresses, get in touch. We’d love to pass on your desire for a solution that’s doesn’t involve the dump!
What’s in a mattress?
The average mattress contains:
- Steel springs – 100% recyclable
- Polyurethane foam – can be recycled into foam carpet underlay
- Coir – a natural product from coconut fibre with various reuse options
- Wood – 100% reuseable or recyclable
- Textiles – currently non-recyclable
What mattresses might be accepted?
Most mattresses would be accepted, but as you can imagine, there would be some limits.
We would likely accept
All brands of mattresses and bases in reasonable condition.
They would have to be:
- clean
- dry
- bug free (no infestations of bed bugs, fleas, etc)
We probably wouldn’t accept
Mattresses or bases that are:
- Severely damaged, twisted, wet or soiled
- Infested with bed bugs or other living organisms
Or:
- Loose mattress pads or toppers
- Slat, wooden or metal bed frames or headboards
- Water beds
- Car or caravan beds
- Fold-out sofa beds
- Camping or air mattresses
- Pillows or cushions
- Bedding, blankets, sheets or sleeping bags
Latest news & updates
November 25, 2019
Rebound success highlighted in Timaru Herald
The Rebound pilot at Timaru’s Redruth Resource Recovery Park has proven a great success, with some 111 cubic metres of waste kept out of landfill. Read more in this Stuff article.
August 28, 2018
Rebound mattress recycling on Seven Sharp
Rebound mattress recycling has been active in Timaru since July as the Timaru District Council runs a 12-month trial, and has picked up some good media attention recently. A news article ran on Stuff.co.nz, and more recently TVNZ current affairs show Seven Sharp did a segment.