>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?

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Get out a knife and cut it up.

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!

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

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.

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.

You've never been to a transfer station have you?

So literally the exact way all roads are paved?

That is the point, yes.

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

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.

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?

I have. I have always paid a fee to dispose of my trash.

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.

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

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

Why recommend something with equal cost but significantly more labor?

> 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.

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

Fellow somerset resident, can confirm

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.

Sad but true.

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.

Totally fair. I do the same post work posts.

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.

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

>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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

I will try to dig deeper, but it refers to the items needing to be clean and dry.

https://www.mass.gov/guides/textile-recovery

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."

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

>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.

Found this place;

https://www.handupmattress.com

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…

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.

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!!!

Seems I was a bit harsh on DEP. thanks for that.

I like this idea too!

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

Shame see stories like these;

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/12/14/police-investigating-after-mountain-of-mattresses-turns-up-near-fall-river-water-supply/

Should be recycle all we can, stay green.

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.