According to RI NPR,a free program begun in May has caused an uptick in mattresses and box springs recycled in Rhode Island.
Bye, Bye Mattress, Alexandria, Virginia, established collection sites throughout Rhode Island.
“And they are getting overwhelmed and inundated with all these mattresses,” Sarah Reeves, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp.’s director of policy, programs and planning, told RI NPR. “I think because people think that ‘Now is my chance, I finally have the opportunity to drop something off for free,’ not realizing that it’s not a limited-time only offer.”
The program is a result of a law passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2013 that requires mattress manufacturers to create recycling programs.
“Dropping off your mattress for free at designated locations is now the law in Rhode Island,” Reeves said. “So there’s no rush. You can drop one off a month if you have to. You don’t have to pull them all out of your basement, attic and shed and give them all at once. You have plenty of time.”
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