Mattress recycling in Springfield is much easier than you think. Here's why this matters:
- connorwilsonprof
- Aug 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 19
Mattresses are one of the most problematic forms of waste to deal with, for both consumers and sanitation workers. They’re bulky, they’re dense, they’re expensive… they’re difficult. It is often illegal to leave mattresses on the curb, thrift stores don't want them, yet Americans still throw out approximately 18 million mattresses every year, according to the Mattress Recycling Council.
So what do you do with your old mattress? For Springfield area residents, the answer is easy and simple: Recycle it!
For $20, the same cost as disposal, anyone can recycle their mattress with the city of Springfield at several locations across town. Best of all, the benefits extend beyond the landfill.
Since 2023, mattress recycling has provided valuable job opportunities to those leaving poverty through a partnership with Victory Mission, a 2024 District O grant recipient. Mindy McDonald, Director of Marketing and Advancement with Victory Mission, says this partnership has provided a wealth of opportunities to truly set their clients up for success while giving back to the community.
“A lot of [our clients] haven’t had job opportunities in the past, or they haven’t had the tools to get back to work,” McDonald said. “A lot of these guys that we’re working with are wanting to go into a warehouse or manufacturing setting, so it teaches them a lot of these transferable skills.”
So, how are mattresses actually recycled?
The process is significantly more complex than typical forms of recycling, a major reason why it can still be difficult to find mattress recycling services in the Ozarks.
First, the mattress needs to be broken down into individual components, separating fabrics, wood, metals, plastic, foam, etc. This process is done by hand, unlike most common recyclables.
Once each material is separated, the extra work can still pile up— foam needs to be baled, materials need to be weighed and loaded for transportation to their respective recycling locations and the non-recyclable materials still need to be disposed of.
This intensive process makes mattress recycling infeasible for most businesses, but McDonald says that complexity has given Victory Mission unique opportunities to extend their restoration programming, allowing the nonprofit to teach employees transferable skills like forklift and baler operation, driving and disassembly, as well as soft skills such as working as a team and leadership opportunities.
“When another business approached us [to take over mattress recycling]... it was kind of a no-brainer fit,” McDonald said. “All of these pieces are not going back into the landfill; they’re being disassembled, they’re being used for new things, but it’s also putting someone back to work.”
Keeping mattresses from reaching the landfill is crucial to a landfill’s long-term health. While minimizing waste should always be a priority, mattresses pose significant issues for disposal services. Mixed materials in mattresses make them uniquely difficult to break down. Their large size also occupies more space than other waste. Mattresses can even damage landfill equipment.
“We like to think, when we throw something away, it’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but the reality is it isn’t,” McDonald said. “Our region has limited landfill space, and we don’t want to be filling that up… and the reality is that mattresses contribute an astronomical amount of space in the landfill.”
Since taking over the mattress recycling program in 2023, McDonald said Victory Mission has recycled over 6,800 mattresses, diverting 249,631lbs of materials from the Springfield Noble Hill Sanitary Landfill, with plans not only to expand their services beyond Springfield, but also to provide resources for other nonprofits and organizations in the region so mattress recycling can become more accessible.
In working with both the city of Springfield and District O, Victory Mission has launched an informational website, springfieldmattressrecycling.com, and held several pop-up events in surrounding counties, all with the goal of raising awareness and accessibility of mattress recycling. They've also issued several materials aiding other organizations hoping to replicate their mattress recycling success.
Interested in bringing mattress recycling to your city? Check out this checklist to help you get started:
Mattresses and box springs can be brought to the Springfield Noble Hill Sanitary Landfill as well as the Lone Pine and Franklin Avenue Recycling Centers from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and recycled for $20 as long as items are clean, dry and not infested. Further information can be found on the city’s website.
“Without the help of District O, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to take on this business in the first place,” McDonald said. “We want to give people an even better opportunity to recycle their mattress… to get out there and not only increase access, but to generally educate people.”
