Don't Trash That Old Mattress -- Recycle It on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Veterans Park

In the U.S. more than 50,000 worn-out mattresses are simply consigned to the trash every day. There's a better way.

If you have an old mattress or box spring to discard, you can give it a new life by taking advantage of Sustainable Fairfield's next mattress recycling event. Mattresses and box springs can be dropped off for recycling on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at Veterans Park, 909 Reef Road. Note, the event will end once the recycling truck reaches maximum capacity.

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Any mattress, no matter when it was purchased, can be brought to an event for no-cost recycling, if it is not damaged, heavily soiled or posing other health or safety risks, e.g., bed bugs.

Residents who'd like assistance with transporting a mattress to the event can turn to ONIT, a Fairfield-based service that connects homeowners with local young adults to complete odd jobs in a timely manner. To arrange for pickup and transport of a mattress to the recycling event, visit the ONIT website at https://www.onitllc.net/

Seventy-five percent or more of a mattress' components can be re-used in many consumer and industrial products. Through the recycling process, foam, fiber and other soft materials are saved; metal and box springs are extracted and sent to scrap recyclers and then to steel mills and foundries, and the wood is used for fuel.

Sustainable Fairfield is sponsoring the event with the Bye Bye Mattress program of the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC), a nonprofit organization that operates recycling programs in states with mattress recycling laws, currently including Connecticut, California, Rhode Island and Oregon. The MRC uses a recycling fee collected on each mattress and box spring sold in those states to support its programs.

You can learn more about other mattress recycling opportunities in Connecticut by visiting the Bye Bye Mattress website. The website also offers tips on how to prolong your mattress' life by keeping it in good condition.