Workers dismantling mattresses.
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Consumers in several states are paying to make the mattress industry more environmentally friendly, but could more states follow suit?
Four states – California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island – currently charge a flat fee for mattresses and box springs that residents buy online or in-store.
The retail fees, which range from $16 to about $23, help fund state recycling programs that divert used mattresses from landfills. This is part of a growing policy initiative to promote a circular economy for common household products, from plastic packaging to paper products and electronics.
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According to the Mattress Recycling Council, a nonprofit organization created by the bedding industry to run the nation’s recycling program, Americans throw away about 15 million to 20 million mattresses each year, an average of 20 million mattresses per day. It is said to be equivalent to 50,000 pieces.
However, more than 75% of mattresses are recyclable, according to the MRC, and the wood, steel, foam, and fibers can be stripped, sold, and reused.
Oregon implemented recycling fees on January 1st. State residents who purchase a new mattress or box spring pay an additional $22.50 per unit, which is reflected on the consumer’s receipt as a “control rating.”
California and Connecticut increased their retail fees from $10.50 and $11.75, respectively, to $16 per piece in early 2025. Rhode Island raised its per-unit fee to $20.50 last year.
MRC spokeswoman Amanda Wall said the industry is also working with lawmakers in Massachusetts, Maryland, New York and Virginia to establish similar programs.
Recycling options are few but expanding
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Currently, Americans who want to recycle used mattresses and box springs have few options.
A directory compiled by the Mattress Recycling Council lists only 58 companies nationwide that recycle such products. Companies in states without recycling laws typically charge consumers for pick-up and drop-off at their homes. (For example, I recently paid $95 for such a service in New York City.)
Oregon officials say the program makes it easier for consumers to recycle unwanted mattresses and reduces illegal dumping.
According to the state Department of Environmental Quality’s website, the plan aims to “create new locations in every county for residents to conveniently drop off their mattresses” and also create jobs in the recycling sector.
The state’s recycling efforts are an example of “extended producer responsibility” laws gaining momentum in the U.S.
Reid Lifset, resident research fellow in industrial ecology at Yale University and editor of the Journal of Industrial Ecology, said, “EPR allows producers of products and packaging to You will be responsible for managing them.” The EPR program provides a new source of funding to make recycling systems sustainable, Lifset said.
For state mattress programs, retailers pass consumer fees to the Mattress Recycling Council, which funds each state’s respective program, Wall said.
In Oregon, for example, more than half of the $22.50 retail fee (about $12) will go toward operating the program in 2025, with the remainder going toward start-up costs, administrative costs, public education, and advertising.
According to the MRC, there are more than 300 mattress drop-off locations in the state with recycling programs. This site accepts discarded mattresses free of charge. (However, there may be a charge if you pick it up at your home.)
