City of Brisbane CA : Say Hello to Bye Bye Mattress

Thanks to the Mattress Recycling Council's (MRC) Bye Bye Mattress Program , Brisbane residents can now recycle mattresses and box springs for free at Blue Line Transfer Station! (This is in addition tomattresses/box springs able to be collected no-charge from single-family homes through the SSF Scavenger On-Call Cleanup program .)

To avoid charges for the Bye Bye Mattress Program, bring no more than one load per day and bring only mattresses/box springs. Up to 4 units accepted for no-charge.

SSF Scavenger Company and Blue Line Transfer are proud to join the Program's growing collection network and to be helping the MRC reach its goal of diverting 1 million mattresses from California's landfills each year.

The mattresses and box springs collected at Blue Line will be hauled to an East Bay facility for recycling.

The Mattress Recycling Process

Most recyclers currently use the following process to dismantle a mattress:

1. The top mattress layer (including the outer fabric) is cut, peeled and separated from the mattress' interior materials (which can include fiber, polyurethane or latex foam and steel springs).
2. The interior materials are pulled apart and separated by type.
3. Foam, fiber and other soft commodities are baled and compressed for transport to scrap dealers or companies that will consume them to make new products.
4. Metal springs from mattresses and box springs are extracted and sent to scrap recyclers that will sell them to steel mills and foundries.
5. Wood is chipped or shredded.

Uses for Old Mattress Components

More than 80% of a used mattress' components can be recycled -the metal springs, foam, wood and fibers - and made into new useful products. For example:

• The steel springs are recycled as metal scrap and can be melted and used to make new appliances, building materials and other steel products.
• The foam can be turned into carpet underlayment or animal bed padding.
• The wooden frames can be shredded to produce landscaping mulch.
• The cotton and other fiber can be used in industrial oil filters and other textile applications.

To learn more about Bye Bye Mattress, please visit www.ByeByeMattress.com.