Soon, there might be a way to recycle mattresses in Charleston.
Last week, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) awarded the City of Charleston Resiliency and Sustainability Advisory Committee a $12,500 grant to assist in funding research for the creation of a mattress recycling program. The grant will afford the committee the opportunity to experiment with a pilot project based on recycling. Essentially, recycling means reusing mattress segments + components to make new products. ♻️
According to this article, mattresses are no longer accepted at the Bees Ferry Landfill (1344 Bees Ferry Rd.) and are sent to a landfill in Ladson. Key factors in testing out the project will include exploring various ways to receive, store + transport the mattresses to Nine Lives Recycling, a unique recycling center in Pamplico, SC.
Why not just donate a mattress? Most charities do not accept used mattress donations, due to bedbug infestations + other health related concerns. Recycling helps to alleviate issues such as mattresses taking up large portions of landfill space + clogging machinery.
As of now, it’s estimated the recycling project will take 10 months to test with a goal to have the first mattress recycled sometime in December of this year.
If you are interested in learning more about an immediate way to responsibly dispose of your mattress, BedShred Mattress Disposal and Recycling has kept more than 100,000 mattresses out of landfills and services Charleston, Berkeley + Dorchester Counties. The cool part: one tree is planted for every old mattress or boxspring recycled through the company’s process. 🌳
Poll
