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Mattress Recycling Picture By isadoratang on Flickr original at http://www.flickr.com/photos/izzytang/3679328011/

Mattress Recycling

Depending on their type, mattresses contain recyclable materials like metal springs and foam. While you obviously can't fit these materials in your recycling bin, you can recycle them at locations listed below.

Santa Barbara County participates in the Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress program– free drop off of mattresses and box springs. The Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress program recycles more than 1.7 million mattresses each year in California. Participating facilities accept mattresses and box springs for free at the locations listed below. Recycling mattresses diverts valuable material from landfills and turns them into other useful products instead. The program is also helping our community combat illegal dumping. To learn more about how the program works in California visit ByeByeMattress.com.

Mattress retailers and other sellers must collect an $11 recycling fee on each mattress or box spring sold to California end-users to fund this program. The fees will be used to fund mattress collection, transportation and recycling services throughout California. The program will also create a network of collection sites for California residents, hotels, universities, hospitals and military bases and will support a fund to help communities battle illegal dumping.

The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC), the organization operating the program, estimates that US consumers discard at least 20 million mattresses and box springs annually.

Read more about the program on MRC's website.

Local Recycling Options

Thanks to this program, these units are diverted from landfills and used to make other useful products such as carpet padding, insulation, filters and mulch. The program also helps our community combat illegal dumping.

Depending on their type, mattresses contain recyclable materials like metal springs and foam. While you can't fit these materials in your recycling bin, you can recycle them at the locations listed below.

Most of these drop-off sites collect up to five (5) residentially-generated units for free. Businesses are generally charged a fee. Click on the location name for details.

If you have a mattress you're interested in selling, take a look at our furniture page.

Where to go