Spring Back Mattress Recycling

One of the goals of Austin Creative Reuse is to divert waste from the landfill, so we’re always on the lookout of other companies and organizations that do the same.In Tennessee, Spring Back Mattress Recycling is a company that hires previously incarcerated and homeless men to break down old, used mattresses.

According to Spring Back, the mattresses are “broken down into raw materials such as cotton, metal, wood, and foam. Each of the component parts is bundled and sold to area scrap buyers to be reused in other applications.”

(If can't see the video, view it on the Spring Back Recycling website.)Most recyclers and reuse centers won’t touch old mattresses. Landfills would rather not too, because of the time it takes mattresses to decompose (decades) and their bulky size. So, it's especially great to see an organization taking on the task of cleanin' up our old mattresses.My neighborhood recently had their bulk collection pick up and I noticed an awful lot of mattresses ready to be carted off to the landfill... Do you have a mattress or box spring you'd like to find a new home for? Have no fear! You do have options!

Where can I recycle or properly dispose of mattresses and box springs in Austin?

Mattress DonationAs always, you can give it away for free on Freecycle or Craigslist. (Don't doubt the power of giving it away for free on these two sites. I've heard so many people able to given their mattresses away, even when they had doubts!)Mattress RecyclingIf your mattress is unusable or in very poor condition, you can have the mattress recycled.Rubbish WorksAccording to their website, Rubbish Works picks up mattresses and box springs for a fee. They asses whether it should be donated to a local charity or recycled and will dispose of it appropriately.More info for Spring Back:NPR story: New Recycling Company Springs From Old MattressesIf you have a question about how to properly dispose of a particular item, send me an email at kaci@austincreativereuse.org.Updated: 3/8/2014