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| CC image courtesy of The-Lane-Team (Flickr) |
Connecticut recently passed the nation's first extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill for mattresses. Advocates say the law will result in an estimated $1.3 million savings for local governments, and will increase opportunities for recycling businesses by requiring mattress manufacturers to finance and manage a mattress collection and recycling program.
Connecticut government officials estimate that municipalities across the state manage over 175,000 discarded mattresses each year. Despite the fact that up to 95 percent of the materials that compose mattresses can be easily recycled -- including steel, cotton, and foam -- most mattresses are currently shipped to landfills or waste-to-energy facilities.
Mattress manufacturers and renovators will be required to fund and manage a single stewardship organization that will provide free collection and recycling services to municipalities, which include storage containers for municipalities to aggregate mattresses at transfer stations. The program will be financed by a visible fee that mattress producers will pass onto retailers, who will then pass it on to consumers.