Photo courtesy of the Mattress Recycling Council.
The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC), Alexandria, Virginia, has submitted the annual report for its Connecticut Bye Bye Mattress program to the Hartford, Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The report details the results MRC achieved in the Connecticut mattress stewardship program during the state’s 2025 fiscal year.
During the fiscal year, MRC reported 212,789 mattresses and foundations collected across the state. The report says recyclers recovered 3,643 tons of steel, foam, fiber and wood through the program, which diverted the materials from the waste stream, giving them a new life through recycling.
Connecticut was the first state in the nation to launch the bedding industry's statewide mattress recycling solution. Since the launch of MRC's Bye Bye Mattress, the nonprofit organization says more than 1.9 million mattresses have been recycled in the state.
The program is funded by a recycling fee collected when Connecticut consumers buy a new mattress or box spring. The fee allows MRC to provide collection containers, transport discarded mattresses and cover recycling costs.
At 157, the majority of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities participate in the program to recycle used mattresses, the report states. This year, MRC says it saw an increase in mattress collections from retailers and educational institutions, the addition of four new lodging industry participants and a record-setting contribution from the Naval Submarine Base in New London.
The report includes additional highlights:
Almost 34,800 units were obtained from the retail sector, an increase of more than 2,850 from the previous reporting period.
The program worked with 16 educational institutions to recycle over 7,000 units, an increase of 4,100 from the previous period.
The program collected nearly 6,000 mattresses from small solid waste haulers and other similar entities, diverting these units to recycling and surpassing the performance goal by 71 percent.
The program celebrated its 10th anniversary with a press conference, which generated coverage across TV, radio, online, print and social media.
"Reaching the 10-year milestone in Connecticut is a testament to the success and staying power of the Bye Bye Mattress program," says Dan McGowan, MRC Northeast program manager. "Over the past decade, we've built a strong statewide network that keeps mattresses out of the waste stream, supports local job, and gives new life to materials that would otherwise go to waste. The Bye Bye Mattress program is a win for the environment, for communities, and for Connecticut's economy."
In addition to its Connecticut program, MRC operates Bye Bye Mattress in California, Oregon and Rhode Island.
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