Hartford’s regional trash-to-energy plant is set to close on June 30, 2022. This will force Connecticut to truck waste to out-of-state landfills instead of burning garbage for energy.
Sending garbage to landfills in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York could create more price volatility for towns and be a step backward for the environment.
Connecticut must be strategic and innovative in addressing its looming waste-management problem. That’s why initiatives like the Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress program is a vital piece to the environmental puzzle.
Mattress Recycling Council, a MCG client, serves as a global example of environmental leadership. To date, its Bye Bye Mattress program has recycled more than 775,000 mattresses in Connecticut since the program began in 2015. That equates to over 13,000 tons of material diverted from the state’s waste stream in just five years. To offer a visualization, if each unit was placed end to end, those mattresses would span 917 miles — enough to make over eight trips across Connecticut.
The environmental impact of this is tremendous. 50,000 mattresses a day are discarded in the U.S. More than 80 percent of a mattress can be recycled into new consumer and industrial products.
Reusing mattress materials saves valuable resources from entering the waste stream, such as foam, steel, wood, cotton and other fibers. Components from old mattresses can be turned into appliances, carpet padding, mulch, and more.
With more of Connecticut’s garbage going to landfills after the plant closes next year, it’s even more important to be resourceful and prevent unnecessary waste.
If you’re thinking about disposing of your unwanted mattress, check out what your options are. You’ll sleep better knowing you’re doing what you can to protect the environment, and of course, also because you’re on a new mattress.