JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling today announced it is launching a mattress and boxes spring recycling program beginning December 6.
The county asks residents to continue to bring mattresses and box springs to the Trash Transfer Station, Monday through Friday from 8am–3pm and Saturdays 9am–1pm. The tip fee for mattress and box spring recycling is $26 each.
Teton County and the Town of Jackson adopted Zero Waste Resolutions in 2014 and 2015. The intent of the resolutions is to divert 60% of Teton County’s waste from the landfill by 2030. 60% diversion is an ambitious goal, and the new Mattress Recycling Program is an initiative on the road to zero waste to help the community get there.
Over 30 million mattresses are sent to landfills across the country every year. Bulky mattresses pose several challenges for landfills. They don’t compact, they take up a lot of space, and they create flammable air pockets resulting in countless landfill fires annually. Additionally, it takes decades for a mattress to decompose.
Teton County ISWR is partnering with Spring Back Utah Mattress Recycling. Spring Back will deconstruct each mattress resulting in 95% of the mattress being reused. Different elements of each mattress will be given a new life:
- Foam and pillow top layer are rebounded into carpet padding.
- Steel is melted at a foundry in Utah and made into rebar for use in the construction industry.
- Wood is repurposed into landscape mulch, biomass fuel, or new wood product.
- Cotton is made into “green” home insulation.
- Felt is used to make moving blankets.
