Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality has rejected a plan from the Mattress Recycling Council. The agency cited concerns about outreach to rural and marginalized communities. It also asked for a more detailed budget, more information about how mattresses contaminated with bed bugs or other substances would be handled.

Katie Romano with DEQ said a successful program should meet the needs of every county in Oregon. Some areas, such as Eugene, already have a program, which may see even more mattresses once the program is underway. Others, especially rural areas, have never had a way to recycle mattresses. “How do we look at the communities that already have mattress recycling programs and also be intentional about what this expansion into some of our more rural communities looks like,” Romano said.

DEQ anticipates statewide mattress recycling will be up and running by the end of 2024, or early 2025. The Mattress Recycling Council, a nonprofit formed by the mattress industry, has created programs in other states. It has 60 days to submit another plan. The DEQ has 45 days to review that. If the second proposal is approved, the MRC has seven months to roll it out to the public.

Source: waste advantage mag