Recycling Committee tours UTEC mattress recycling facility
Effective November 1, 2022, Massachusetts enacted a ban on mattress and box spring waste disposal. To meet this requirement, the Town of Chelmsford has partnered with UTEC Mattress Recycling to collect and recycle mattresses and box springs collected at the curb. Not only does this divert material from the incinerator, but it reclaims valuable material from the waste stream and supports a local social services enterprise.
On February 5, 2024, members of the Chelmsford Recycling Committee met with staff members of UTEC to tour their mattress recycling facility in Lawrence, MA. The staff showed us the warehouse, gave us background information on their process and answered our questions.
What is UTEC’s capacity? UTEC works with 31 municipalities, hotels, and junk removal companies in the Merrimack Valley. They receive about 150 units (mattress, boxspring, etc.) per day during the winter and 300-400 per day in the summer. They currently receive about 40,000 units per year, double the rate when the state-wide waste disposal ban took effect in November 2022. Their goal is 45,000 – 50,000 per year. There are 7 full-time staff and 5 young adults in the program. In the summer, they hire an additional 3 part-time workers. They have 2 box trucks to pick up units curbside 5 days per week and 2 large pickups for recovery of missed units, etc.
UTEC receives about 150 units per day during the winter and 300-400 per day in the summer.
What happens to the material? 85%-90% of the material is recycled:
The outer covering of a mattress is removed as trash (blended material, sometimes stained).
The pillow-topper and foam layers are removed and baled.
The bales are sold, ground up, and used for carpet underlay.
Workers use a shearing table to cut the metal springs from the wooden frame. The metal is compressed and baled, then sold to recycling yards.
The wood frames have little value due to the metal hardware and staples throughout. UTEC pays a company in Chelsea to take the wood and shred it. They’re looking for other options for the wood.
Pocket coils (each coil is covered with polyester) are too time-consuming to deconstruct. UTEC pays to dispose of them.
Overall, 85% of the items collected get deconstructed.
What types of mattresses do you accept? Crib/toddler (free), sofa bed, gel-foam topped, all-foam, lightly-stained (dry), adjustable/motorized, Sleep Number, Tempur-Pedic mattresses are all accepted. They will NOT accept futon mattresses, overly-soiled, or bug-infested items. If UTEC declines a mattress, they will refund the resident and contact the Town of Chelmsford to approve trash pickup for the mattress.
What if the forecast is for rain on pick-up day? Please wait until that morning before putting the mattress out at the curb. As long as the mattress isn’t saturated, they can set it aside to dry out in the warehouse.
What are the fees? For each unit, Chelmsford residents pay $30 and the Town of Chelmsford contributes $10. UTEC is a non-profit, and the sale of materials is minimally profitable. Drivers are paid prevailing wages.
What reminders can we give Chelmsford residents? Please leave the mattress or boxspring at the curb, where you leave trash and recycle barrels. UTEC drivers cannot “call me when you get here” or enter the property to retrieve items from a porch or back yard.