Having the most amazingly comfortable bed is truly a blessing in life. Yet there comes a time in the life of every mattress when it does eventually wear out. Even the Sleepys return policy cannot save a bed that has lost all its life. With millions of people having mattresses that will eventually need to be disposed or repurposed in some way, what are our options?
Instead of just filling our landfills, here are some great ideas to renew and recycle the material that make up our worn out beds.
Uses for Old Mattress Components
Many mattress materials are made from recycled and renewable materials, and can be recycled at the end of their useful life for use in other products.
Here are some examples:
- Steel inner-springs and box-springs – Much of the steel wire used to make mattress inner-springs and box-springs is made from recycled scrap steel. Once the mattress is discarded, the steel wire can again be recycled, remelted and poured into new steel.
- Mattress foam – Oils made from renewable plants like soy, castor beans and other natural oil sources are used in making some types of polyurethane foam used in mattresses. Similarly, plant-based latex can be used with other materials to make latex foam used in mattresses. The used mattress foam can then be ground up, mixed with binders and formed into the foam padding used underneath wall- to-wall carpets and in other cushioning applications.
- Box-spring/foundation wood – Most wood used to make box-springs (also called foundations) is from common, non-endangered tree species – like spruce, pine and fir – grown in certified renewable forests. What’s more, no trees are cut just to make box-spring/foundation wood. In fact, the trees are cut to make construction lumber (for homes and other buildings) and pulp for paper making. The wood used for box-springs/foundations is then made from those parts of a tree that cannot be used for construction lumber because those boards are too narrow, too short and too thin to make a 2-by-4. As a result, box-spring/ foundation manufacturers help make more efficient use of trees cut to make construction lumber or paper. After the consumer discards the box-spring, the used wood can be chipped and used as animal bedding, mulch or biomass fuel.
- Fabrics and fibers – A number of renewable plant and animal fibers – including cotton, wool, silk, sisal and coconut fibers – are used in mattresses. Another renewable fiber is rayon, which is made from wood and other cellulosic plant fibers. Other textiles and fibers used in mattresses are made from recycled materials.
Are you looking for buyers for your used mattress components? Here are some resources that can help:
- Steel scrap:
Trade Key, Your key to Global Trade
Steel Boss, Marketplace community for the Steel Industry.
- Foam scrap:
Recycled Polyurethane Markets Database, sponsored by The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry.
Courtesy of ISPA