Mattress recycling and the personal responsibility argument in climate change

Submitted by cowboy_dude_6 t3_10lc5pp in massachusetts

My city recently banned mattresses from dumpsters and other primary waste streams. On the surface this sounds like a great idea -- mattresses are mostly recyclable, so why not require that they are recycled? In my experience this doesn't work well in practice. The company the city contracts with only picks up from residences with regular curbside service, which I don't have, as I live in a larger complex. I don't have a car that fits the mattress, so I can't drop it off myself. What options remain? My choices were to call multiple private companies until I could find someone who picks up locally and then pay them $75 out of pocket to take it, or to just dump it somewhere where no one will see. Of course I chose the former, but how many people won't do the right thing in this situation? The incentives are clearly aligned against the responsible choice.

Now I know what you're thinking -- quit complaining, it's your waste so you pay for it. Fair. But why is doing the right thing for the environment always framed as a personal choice when it comes to regular people, while the public pays the price as corporations continue to dump their waste into the oceans with little consequence? It's the same with clean energy opt-ins and bottle deposits. As long as doing the right thing for the planet requires personal sacrifice by individuals, we will never have an effective solution. Change needs to be systemic. To this end I propose -- just make the damn mattress recycling program a free city service. It's really that simple.

138

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

CC_Ramone t1_j5w6xhp wrote

In boston you just throw it on the sidewalk and then call 311

“Hello I’d like to report a mattress on the sidewalk in front of my apartment.”

“OK we’ll have somebody come pick it up”

Also highly effective for getting rid of that fucking gas stove my lazy fucking landlord replaced and left in my backyard for two months!

103

wolf95oct0ber t1_j5w5se3 wrote

Ideally companies would be responsible for taking back waste from their products. Some mattress companies if you buy from them will take your old one for free.

Additional note: it’s not just the town it’s a statewide ban I believe.

52

UniWheel t1_j5x4c1t wrote

>Some mattress companies if you buy from them will take your old one for free.

Not everyone getting rid of a mattress is replacing it though - some are moving and/or downsizing and don't need as many mattresses at the destination.

Proper manufacturer responsibility links to the origin, not the purchase of a replacement

16

wgc123 t1_j5w9vw2 wrote

I don’t know why this was downvoted, but yes, a lot of the time the mattress delivered will take your old one. Sometimes free. Sometimes charge

5

dpceee t1_j5xp2e0 wrote

Can't you throw it away if it's been contaminated with bodily fluids? Or is that only for clothing?

1

wolf95oct0ber t1_j5y9hh5 wrote

Good question I can’t remember and would have to search Mass.gov and check.

1

dpceee t1_j5yiam5 wrote

Okay, I found some more:

"According to RecyclingWorks Massachusetts, for a mattress to be recycled, it must be made of metal, textiles, wood, and/or foam, and must be dry and free of mold. Bedding items exempt from the new waste ban typically aren’t accepted by mattress recyclers."

3

OriginalObscurity t1_j5w3gkd wrote

Just pay like $25-$75 to rent a pickup from Hone Depot or a similar amount to grab a UHaul for the shortest allowed window (usually 2-3 hrs). The wife & I do that every year for spring cleaning to get awkward / large items to our county’s hard to manage waste facility since we both drive sedans. Works a charm. I’d recommend the UHaul route though as their rental process is entirely self-service via their app / website.

Edit: I don’t disagree with your solution to make it a public service, just wanted to provide a solution for your problem at hand. I’d definitely make plans to attend the next town meeting & propose that route if I were you.

13

ohhgrrl t1_j5wnmyj wrote

Why recommend something with equal cost but significantly more labor?

23

OriginalObscurity t1_j5wtx4q wrote

Sorry, you’re totally right; blame my dumb post-work brain. Was more focused on OP’s desire to not pay for the pickup & got caught up in my experience moving otherwise cumbersome & difficult to dispose of waste.

8

ohhgrrl t1_j5wueg7 wrote

Totally fair. I do the same post work posts.

3

Hairy_Greek t1_j5wvete wrote

It’s not your city. DEP changed requirements for mattresses. Every city is scrambling to try to find and figure out what to do. MassDEP just dropped the ban and forced municipalities to try and figure it out.

11

Another_Reddit t1_j5z65vj wrote

I know this is a sentiment a lot of people on Reddit have, but MassDEP didn’t just “drop the ban.” It was under development for quite a while. This article from the Massachusetts Municipal Association is from Oct 2020, when the band were first being considered: https://www.mma.org/massdep-proposes-changes-to-waste-ban-regulations/

And the municipalities aren’t alone in trying to figure this out. Besides RecyclingWorks, MassDEP has resources available to help municipalities: https://www.mass.gov/guides/mattress-recycling#-waste-ban-compliance-assistance-for-municipalities-

Not saying it’s easy, but it’s disingenuous to say MassDEP is just issuing demands then leaving everyone out to dry. We still live in a participatory democracy, albeit one that can be a little rough around the edges…

7

EmmaRB t1_j5wetuw wrote

I would love to pay someone to bring an old king size mattress I have to a recycling center. Even before the new rules went into affect I had contacted a few companies that advertise the service, but they werent in my town and I couldnt even get a quote for the job. There is no recycling center anywhere near south eastern MA where I live for them to bring it to. The mattress is taking up a huge amount of space leaning against a wall in a room that is barely big enough to hold it. I want to downsize and may have to sell my house "as is, mattress must stay" the way things are going.

10

realtorKen t1_j5wb3p6 wrote

They’ve been illegally dumping them down by the riverside here in Somerset.

9

noodle-face t1_j5wq3ty wrote

Fellow somerset resident, can confirm

3

KateWBSM t1_j5ytrgz wrote

Where in Somerset, and how many? I'm nearby and would love to investigate.

2

eightfingeredtypist t1_j5y82sh wrote

Connecticut seems to have a program to recycle mattresses for free.

https://mattressrecyclingcouncil.org/programs/connecticut/

New rules like the mattress ban take some time for the disposal system to adjust and become something people can live with. Returnable bottles and cans were a big hassle for people at first, but somehow people adjusted. Getting mattresses that don't need to be replaced as often, or that easier to throw out, might start to enter into people's purchasing decisions.

5

and_dont_blink t1_j5x1xoa wrote

if you're near Somerville in the spring & summer you can drop them off at Davis Square for the orgies

4

cimson-otter t1_j5y667d wrote

So town dumps won’t take them anymore? I was so confused by this when it passed

3

Maronita2020 t1_j5zckda wrote

It COSTS the city/town money!!!

Of course there is another option you haven't thought of. I, too, live in a multi-unit complex and we also don't have city/town trash pick up. I know my neighbors who live in houses that do have city/town trash pick up. I simply ask them if they would mind my putting it out with their trash. They have always not minded. I then call the place that the city/town contracts with and let them know a mattress will be in front of (give address) and then they pick it up. This is a great reason for knowing your neighbors!!!

3

AWholeNewFattitude t1_j66f8bl wrote

I absolutely would recycle mattresses, pillows, and textiles, but you cant put them in your bin, no drive around and find a bin to donate them. If you want people to comply you need to make it easy.

3

Fun_Top5285 t1_j5yhdby wrote

Keep your mattress forever and save the freaking world. The story behind the story: they're a bitch to put through the trash truck compactor and take extra time.

2

Daily_the_Project21 t1_j5z46a5 wrote

>But why is doing the right thing for the environment always framed as a personal choice when it comes to regular people, while the public pays the price as corporations continue to dump their waste into the oceans with little consequence

That's already illegal.

2

TheColonelRLD t1_j5z7xja wrote

It doesn't have to be a 'free' city service. They just need to incorporate the cost as a fee when purchasing a new mattress. Other states do that. So every new mattress sold has already paid for the recycling of that mattress.

All mattresses are presumed to have been paid. Yes you can buy an old mattress, or move to the state with a mattress etc. But this way the cost is incorporated in the purchase and all mattresses can be accepted/picked up by recycling providers.

2

fendermrc t1_j5ybszs wrote

Yankee Mattress Factory builds them here in western mass. They are amazingly well designed and built. I have three in my house.

They picked up the old for recycling when we bought new.

I realize now that I have no idea whether they recycle in their Agawam factory, or if they just took them to a transfer station.

Not the most helpful input to OPs question, I realize. But Yankee Matress seems like a Mass best-kept-secret.

1

UncleCustard t1_j5wopfy wrote

The Chicopee river takes them for free. Odd thing is, drop off is between 9PM and 5AM. No need to call ahead. /s

−5

LickerOfPoons t1_j5wkvuj wrote

I’ve just been lugging my old mattresses in the woods.

−9

Quirky_Butterfly_946 t1_j5w5ap3 wrote

Any woods near by? That's your only option and what this law will create.

−12

Elecrockcity t1_j5wa2we wrote

I like how you went from “personal responsibility” to “city, do this for me.” It’s exactly the attitude that got us this far. You revolutionary types don’t see three feet down the road you’re trying to pave with other people’s money.

−28

-Horatio_Alger_Jr- t1_j5w2tbj wrote

>just make the damn mattress recycling program a free city service. It's really that simple.

So I have to pay for you to dispose of your personal property?

−31

cowboy_dude_6 OP t1_j5w2za5 wrote

That’s how public services work, yes. Same way I have to pay when the firefighters put out a fire.

35

-Horatio_Alger_Jr- t1_j5w3gls wrote

You are requesting a private service to be a public service.

Why should I have to pay for you to dispose of your mattress?

You bought the mattress. You used the mattress. You should pay for a company to dispose of that mattress. It's really that simple.

−31

bostonbananarama t1_j5wafcv wrote

You bought the house, you used the house, why should I have to pay the people who put it out when it's on fire?

It's the same argument. What makes one "right" and one "wrong"? It's just a question where you draw the line.

28

-Horatio_Alger_Jr- t1_j5wglvz wrote

This is a stupid argument. That fire puts others in danger.

My house leaks water. That water creates black mold. Should the public have to pay to have that drywall removed and disposed of?

−17

bostonbananarama t1_j5wjxbq wrote

Presumably mattress disposal was prohibited based on its dangers to the environment, which we all share. So a community could choose to use public funds to fund their recycling.

Would you prefer an analogy regarding a public park? We all pay for it because it is there for the benefit of us all. And, while some narrow-minded individuals could say, "I have a yard at my house, why should I pay for that", it still isn't a good argument against it.

11

-Horatio_Alger_Jr- t1_j5wmlza wrote

Black mold is a danger to the environment. The public should have to pay to get that removed from my private property. No?

−2

bostonbananarama t1_j5wo2xz wrote

> Black mold is a danger to the environment.

Is it? Seems naturally occurring to me, and only dangerous to people who enter your home. In other words, not a public benefit. But in the end, it's all where we, as society, decide to draw the line.

6

CertifiedBlackGuy t1_j5wqhex wrote

If your homeowner insurance covers it, then yes, the public is paying for that drywall to be removed and disposed of.

That's all public services really are, insurance but through the government.

7

PurpleDancer t1_j5ygsxz wrote

Do you have trash pickup where you live? That's how this works.

3

Roberto-Del-Camino t1_j60dp4u wrote

In most cities and towns in Mass you already would have been paying for trash removal/recycling. What am I missing here?

1