ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last
five years, Rhode Islanders have paid a recycling fee when buying
mattresses and box springs. That fee has enabled the Mattress
Recycling Council (MRC) to create a program known as Bye Bye
Mattress that recycles these products from Rhode Island residents and commercial sources
at no-cost. As a result, more than 500,000 mattresses have been
recycled, diverting more than 8,000 tons of steel, foam, fibers and
wood from the state's central landfill.
Since its 2016 launch, MRC has recruited municipal transfer
stations, waste haulers, nonprofit organizations, mattress
retailers, hotels, universities, and hospitals to divert their
discarded mattresses to recycling. Currently, 37 Rhode Island
cities and towns and more than 200 Rhode Island-based public and
private entities participate in the program.
"MRC's Bye Bye Mattress is keeping mattresses out of the central
landfill and off streets, alleys and other public spaces that are
often targets of illegal dumping," said MRC's Managing Director
Mike O'Donnell. "This program is
also conserving valuable resources and supporting green jobs."
In its most recent annual report submitted to Rhode Island
Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), MRC emphasized meeting all
established performance goals and described the efforts taken to
achieve them. The report also highlights MRC's research projects
which include conducting studies to identify new end markets,
testing the physical properties of mattress components, and
establishing collaborative industry relationships to create a
circular economy for polyurethane foam.
View the full 2020-2021 Annual Report or visit
MattressRecyclingCouncil.org/Programs/Rhode-Island/ to learn more about our
program's impact in Rhode
Island.
About the Mattress Recycling Council and Bye Bye
Mattress
The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) is a nonprofit
organization that operates recycling programs in states that have
passed mattress recycling laws: California, Connecticut and Rhode Island. MRC was founded by the bedding
industry and recycles more than 1.7 million mattresses each year.
For more information about MRC, go to MattressRecyclingCouncil.org.
To learn how to recycle your mattress or to find a collection
location or event near you, visit ByeByeMattress.com.
CONTACT: Amanda
Wall
(571) 482-5431
awall@mattressrecyclingcouncil.org
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mattress-recycling-councils-rhode-island-program-eclipses-500-000-recycled-mattresses-301402495.html
SOURCE Mattress Recycling Council