Recycling mattresses gets easier for residents
The Lassen Regional Solid Waste Management Authority directed staff to authorize an agreement with the Mattress Recycling Council and non-profit St. Vincent De Paul to implement a mattress collecting service.
In a unanimous vote, with board Chairman Kathie Garnier absent, staff was authorized to move forward with the agreements.
“We’re fairly excited about the program … we seem to have worked out some of the bugs,” said authority general manager Tom Valentino, adding there was an out clause if it does not work out. “We’d like to give it a try.”
During the November meeting, Liz Wagner, from the Mattress Recycling Council posed a project to the board, which would collect and recycle residential mattresses.
According to Wagner, with the authority partnership with the council, a mattress collection container will be provided on site to keep mattresses dry and segregated, and workers will pack them efficiently and complete require paperwork to track outgoing shipments.
The Mattress Recycling Council provides containers at the site, compensation for handling and packing mattresses, transportation to the contracted recycler and no-cost mattress recycling services.
Wagner explained the funds for the council comes from an $11 fee customers pay when they purchase a qualifying items.
According to the staff report, Mattress Recycling Center would pay the authority $2.14 for each unit recovered for recycling, and $1.75 for units that are not fit for recycling.
With the approval of the agreement, mattresses and box springs would be accepted from residential customers only at Bass Hill Landfill from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. Residential customers will not be charged to drop them off, however, commercial customers, like retailers and motels, will still have to pay the drop off fee.
A residential customer can dispose of up to six mattresses and, or box springs each day.
The board unanimously approved the agreement.
