A new statewide program to recycle old mattresses and box springs is now available to consumers.
Known as “Bye Bye Mattress,” the program enables people to drop off any used mattresses and box springs for free at any designated collection site or recycling facility. The idea is divert old mattresses from waste to recycling so California landfills will be less crowded as old mattresses are recycled into new, useful products.
Currently there are more than 40 designated collection locations.
In San Fernando, there are four scheduled one-day drop-offs at Parking Lot 6N, at the corner of First Street and Mclay Avenue, next to the San Fernando Police station located at 910 First St. in San Fernando. The first available day is Feb. 20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Other scheduled days this year are May 21, Aug. 20, and Nov. 19., at the same hours.
The program is run by the Mattress Recycling Council, an industry nonprofit organization. As of Dec. 30, 2015, any discarded mattress or box spring is eligible regardless of the year it was purchased.
Although the fee to recycle mattresses and box springs in California is $11, which goes toward the used to pay for transporting and recycling the discarded mattresses, the council now collects said fee from every new mattress or box spring sold. Consumers will notice this fee as a separate line item on their receipt of a new purchase.
California joins Connecticut as the only states with the mattress recycling program, although Rhode Island is expected to begin one later this year.