California close to mattress recycling law?

United States – Two rival bills relating to mattress recycling have emerged in the US state of California, prompting recyclers to believe that some kind of mattress-specific legislation is likely to succeed later this year. Senator Loni Hancock proposed a bill in March that would require manufacturers to recycle 75% of used mattresses by 2020 as well as allow them to charge retailers or consumers a fee to cover the associated costs. This idea has met with substantial criticism from the mattress industry which argues that it would result in a significant surge in prices for consumers. Such complaints have given rise to the Correa bill which calls for the state to set a recycling fee, to be paid by consumers and to appear prominently on mattress sales receipts.

According to senator Lou Correa, his proposal would resolve the ‘blight of illegally-dumped mattresses in our neighbourhoods and along our roads’ in a way that was ‘good for the environment, California consumers and industry’. The Correa bill is on its way to be heard in the California Senate Environmental Quality Committee in the coming weeks. The group Californians for Mattress Recycling is confident that the bill will be successful as it promotes regional mattress recycling ‘in a realistic and equitable manner’.

At present, less than 10% of old mattresses are recycled in the state, the Los Angeles Times has reported. Californian residents buy around 4 million new mattresses and box springs each year, with half of the replaced volume said to be dumped in local landfills or even on the street.

For more information, visit: www.ca4mattressrecycling.org

Source: Environmental Leader