As of Tuesday, November 1, 2022, revisions to the MassDEP waste ban will go into effect that no longer allow mattresses/box springs and textiles in the waste stream (i.e., as trash). The items have to be recycled.
Why is the State Banning Mattresses/Box Springs and Textiles from the Waste Stream?
MassDEP’s 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan establishes goals to reduce trash disposal statewide by 30 percent (from 5.7 million tons in 2018 to 4 million tons in 2030) over the next decade. Among its strategies for reaching these objectives, MassDEP will expand its current waste disposal bans by adding mattresses to the list of materials banned from disposal or transport for disposal in Massachusetts.
The State’s landfills and combustion facilities have limited and diminishing capacity and the State is targeting textiles and mattresses because of the impact they will have when taken out of the waste stream. Mattresses are bulky and hard to dispose of and the State estimates approximately 17,000 tons per year can be removed from the waste stream from the ban. Similarly, approximately 95% of the 230,000 tons of textiles disposed of per year could be reused or recycled. This will reduce the waste burden on landfills and combustion facilities.
How does this impact the Ayer Transfer Station?
Currently, the Ayer Transfer Station accepts mattresses/box springs and textiles. Mattresses/Box Springs are accepted as a bulk item and disposed of as trash. Textiles are accepted in donation containers. Due to the new Waste Ban, the Transfer Station will no longer accept mattresses/box springs on and after November 1, 2022. The final day to dispose of a mattress/box spring at the Transfer Station will be Sunday, October 30, 2022. The Transfer Station will continue accepting textiles in the donation containers.
Current Options to Recycle Mattresses/Box Springs after November 1, 2022:
When purchasing a new mattress, ask the retailer to collect your old one. If you do not have a mattress purchase or if the retailer does not provide this service, schedule drop off with a Mattress Recycling Vendor, some vendors also offer pickup. The nearest facilities are:
UTEC, Lowell, MA: https://utecinc.org/mattress-recycling/
Tough Stuff Recycling, Fitchburg, MA: https://toughstuffrecycling.com/services-provided/
Raw Material Recovery, Gardner, MA: http://www.rawmatrec.com/
Green Mattress, Milford, MA: https://www.greenmattressco.com/services
Additional Transfer Station information is available at www.ayer.ma.us/transfer-station
If you have any questions, please call the DPW at 978-772-8240
Original source can be found here.
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