Transfer stations prep for state ban on mattresses, clothing

Date: 10/12/2022

HUNTINGTON — Board of Health Administrative Assistant John Bergeron wants to alert residents about a new statewide waste ban starting Nov. 1. After this date, the transfer station will no longer be able to accept mattresses and textiles, which include clothing, bedding and other rag-worthy cloth. Signs will be placed in appropriate areas and staff will monitor.

Currently, mattresses cost $30 to dispose of at the transfer station, he said. After Nov. 1, mattresses will be accepted locally in Williamsburg, but residents will have to arrange for that on their own.

“We are currently negotiating with a private party to pick up mattresses at residences, at a price between $40 and $50,” Bergeron said.

According to Mass.gov, mattresses are made up almost entirely of recyclable materials. Once disassembled, more than 75 percent of mattress components can be recycled. At the same time, discarded mattresses and box springs can be difficult to manage, are expensive to transport, take up a lot of space in landfills, are hard to compact and can get caught in incinerator processing equipment. All of these factors result in higher disposal costs.

Clothing is another newly banned waste item. Residents and businesses dispose of approximately 230,000 tons of textiles annually, 95 percent of which could be reused or recycled instead of thrown away. According to state data, nearly 6 percent of the waste delivered to combustion facilities for disposal is made up of clothing, curtains, towels and other fabrics.

Huntington is talking to a firm that will take textiles, clothing and rag-worthy cloth and pay the town 7 cents a pound. He said the firm would have a bin and empty it when full. That contract will be discussed at a Board of Health meeting on Oct. 17.

“I think it’s going to work well, maybe better than it was,” Bergeron said.
For more information on the new state regulations, visit www.mass.gov/service-details/mattress-recycling.