Mattress Recycling in California: Has it Delivered on Its Promise?
Track
HHW/Hard to Dispose
Session Description
As the organization that pioneered mattress recycling nationally in 2000, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County had 14 years of experience successfully diverting tons of mattresses annually from California's waste stream before state legislation regulated the process in 2015. The mattress recycling legislation requires manufacturers to take responsibility for the end-of-life materials that make up a mattress. Today, under its DR3 recycling operations, SVdP has three recycling facilities in northern California and is uniquely positioned to understand the challenges and the community benefits of mattress recycling both before the legislation and after. Among the many benefits, more and more of these bulky materials are being kept out of landfills where they present unique problems because of their size and inability to be compressed. Among the ongoing challenges: The variety of materials that make up a mattress don't all have value on the secondary markets and create bottlenecks for mattress recyclers who can’t always find buyers for all the materials. An intended goal of EPR laws -- that manufacturers would work to create products with the end-of-life in mind – is still on the drawing board. SVdP's team will discuss the challenges, the status of the industry’s EPR efforts and current research into new uses for materials. We’ll look at what it will take to fulfill the EPR promise.
Speakers
Terry McDonald, The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County
Title
Executive Director
Speaker Biography
Terry McDonald leads the largest social services agency in his region, using entrepreneurial business practices to fund the public good. The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County operates 14 retail thrift stores -- both online and brick-and-mortor -- and four mattress recycling facilities. They help fund the agency's case-managed homeless shelters, transitional housing and affordable housing programs. A sought-after speaker, McDonald has presented at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference, The US Chamber of Commerce Circular Economy Summit and many other events in the U.S., Britain and Australia. He has been recognized for outstanding service, recycling innovation and entrepreneurship.
Abstract Title
The Promise and the Pains of EPR for Mattress Recycling
Speaker Abstract
As the organization that pioneered mattress recycling nationally back in 2000, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, had 15 years of experience successfully diverting tons of mattresses annually from California's waste stream, before state legislation regulated the process, requiring manufacturers to create a process to divert mattresses from the waste stream and recover for reuse, the materials that make up a mattress. SVdP executive director is
Bethany Cartledge, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County
Title
Deputy Director
Speaker Biography
Bethany Cartledge overseas the day-to-day operations of Lane County’s largest social services agency. She promotes effective strategies across the emergency programs, business enterprises and affordable housing that make up St. Vincent de Paul’s community-driven mission. Her experience with the agency goes deep. She built a robust used book department in the agency's retail thrift stores that became a national model throughout the thrift industry. She oversaw the agency's national mentoring program helping other nonprofits develop similar businesses, including mattress recycling to help them finance their charitable missions. Today she manages all operations.
Abstract Title
A Day in the Life of a Mattress Recycling Operation
Speaker Abstract
Hundreds of mattresses of all types arrive on our warehouse docks every day. They may be 60 years old and full of horse hair. They may be 15 years old and full of pocket coils. They may be last year's model with three distinct foams glued together. We take them all. Some of the matresses are in pretty bad shape and require special handling. Each kind of material requires its own machinery to process. In a perfect world we'd find a home for each of the materials -- wood, metal, fabric and foam -- so that these products would continue to be used and not end up in the landfill. But the world of mattress recycling isn't exactly perfect. This presentation goes over what it takes to handle the arrival of 400 mattresses in one day, and where the materials we tease apart end up.
Daven Stetson, The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County
Title
Materials Management Supervisor
Speaker Biography
Daven Stetson supervises materials, transportation and sales of our products that end up in secondary markets. Books whose useful life is at an end still have value in the pulp market. Foam from mattresses will often end up as part of the underlayment pad in a carpeting installation. Daven ensures that our buyers are happy with the product we sell them. And because markets are always changing, Daven stays up to date on other potential buyers and where markets are headed.
Abstract Title
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Find a Way
Speaker Abstract
Where does the foam from a mattress go? Who wants the wood from a box spring that is full of staples? Is it true that there is an occasional market for mattress dust? Daven will look at where the market has been for the materials in a mattress, where the markets are now, and what could happen in the future, especially with new equipment to process tricky items like pocket coils (the metal in a mattress that is most hard to process and often ends up in the landfill.) He'll also talk about the ongoing research to come up with new strategies for managing tricky materials.
Moderator
Susan Palmer, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County
Title
Assistant to Deputy Director