Over 700 mattresses recycled since new collection rule introduced

A new measure to ban the curbside collection of mattresses has proven successful in diverting more used mattresses from the City Landfill.

Since the new collection rule was implemented on August 1st, the City has collected and shipped 730 mattresses for recycling. The mattresses collectively weighed 18.6 tonnes.

It’s estimated the mattresses would have consumed approximately 581.4 cubic metres of uncompacted space at the City Landfill had they not been diverted.

As a comparison, that amount of material is equivalent to nine garbage trucks parked side by side.

“By collecting and recycling used mattresses, we are reducing the amount of unnecessary material ending up the in the City Landfill,” said Nicole Robertson, Solid Waste Supervisor. “This helps increase our waste diversion rate and extend the life of our Landfill.”

The collected mattresses are sent to a third party which recycles the mattress components for reuse in other products. Up to 99 per cent of the material in a mattress is recyclable and can be reused for a variety of purposes including new steel (the steel wire), padding for cushioning applications (foam),  and animal bedding, mulch or biomass fuel (the foundation), among other things.

A mattress takes decades to decompose in a Landfill. They do not compact well and they can create a hazard when drilling gas collection wells and damage equipment if coils get tangled in the equipment.

The change to the curbside collection of mattresses is one of several recommendations put forward in the City’s Solid Waste Management Master Plan, a comprehensive document that sets out a series of initiatives to help increase Cornwall’s overall waste diversion rate.

For more information on garbage and recycling programs and the Solid Waste Management Master Plan, please visit the Environment section of the City website (www.Cornwall.ca).