The Extended Producer Responsibility for Mattresses Act amends the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) to enact a statewide mattress collection program and require mattress producers to establish plans for the recycling of used mattresses. Furthermore, it requires the creation of a mattress collection program advisory board that includes representation from mattress producers, retailers, recyclers, collectors, and environmental organizations.
The Extended Producer Responsibility for Mattresses Act establishes an Extended Producer Responsibility Program for mattress producers in New York. In the US, approximately 15-20 million mattresses are discarded each year, equating to 50,000 mattresses a day.
Mattresses are too frequently seen on the side of the road or otherwise disposed of improperly and illegally. This waste creates numerous environmental, social and financial impacts that could be addressed through EPR. Even when properly disposed of, mattresses are landfilled where they take up vast volumes of space, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, and can leak harmful flame retardants (eg., vinyl chloride, antimony) and other chemicals like dimethylformamide into the environment.
This legislation requires manufacturers to establish convenient disposal opportunities for consumers and puts the onus on manufacturers to properly recycle used mattresses. Mattresses contain materials such as steel, wood, cotton and foam- all of which can be recycled into new products like steel building materials, industrial filters, carpet padding, clothing, and wood chips.
Precedence for this program has been set and successfully implemented by numerous states including Connecticut, California, Rhode Island and Oregon. Since implementation, California has seen over 11 million mattresses recycled, 61 million pounds of mattress materials diverted from landfills, creating more than 60 million pounds of steel, foam, fiber and wood available for use in new products.
Providing an accessible method to dispose of mattresses provides benefits to consumers, protects our landscape, air, and water, and establishes a pathway for reuse of valuable materials.
