Mattress recycling - Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery

Mattress recycling
in Melbourne and greater Geelong
December 2015
Contents
In brief ............................................................................................................................................................... 3
1
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3
2
Objectives and methodology ........................................................................................................... 4
3
Context ............................................................................................................................................... 4
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.6.1
4.6.2
Research findings ............................................................................................................................. 5
How many mattresses are councils collecting and recycling? ............................................................ 5
What happens to mattresses that are dropped off at landfills and resource recovery centres/transfer
stations? .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Commercial collection and reprocessing operations .......................................................................... 8
How many mattresses are generated from institutional (non-household) users?............................... 9
How many new mattresses are entering the market? .......................................................................10
What are the emerging trends and technologies in mattress reprocessing? ....................................10
Australia ........................................................................................................................................... 10
Internationally ................................................................................................................................... 10
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
Analysis of findings ........................................................................................................................12
The volume of used mattresses is growing .......................................................................................12
Recovery of materials is limited ........................................................................................................12
Mattress recycling regulations, standards of practice and reprocessing costs .................................12
There is some evidence larger retailers are offering take-back collections ......................................12
Only steel enjoys access to mature markets ....................................................................................12
6
Opportunities ...................................................................................................................................13
Appendix A:
Emerging technologies in mattress reprocessing and recycling .............................. 14
Appendix B:
Glossary of terms used in the mattress manufacturing and reprocessing industries
........................................................................................................................................... 19
Figures
Figure 1: Councils’ perceptions of illegal dumping of mattresses ........................................................................................ 6
Figure 2: Council mattress recycling methodology .............................................................................................................. 7
Figure 3: Percentage of mattress materials recovered ........................................................................................................ 7
Figure 4: Material recovery priority ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Tables
Table 1: Mattresses collected by metropolitan region councils ........................................................................................... 5
Disclaimer
This report has been prepared by the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group (MWRRG). Information in
this report is current as of October 2015. This report has been compiled based on secondary information and data
provided by Mobius Environmental Consulting and other parties; as such it relies on the accuracy of the provided
material. Although the data has been reviewed, the information provided was assumed to be correct unless otherwise
stated. It is not intended that this report be used to determine investment choices but as an overview of the current
status of mattress waste, mattress recovery and recycling. While all professional care has been undertaken in
preparing this report, MWRRG cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this
report by any third party.
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In brief
It is estimated that around 299,000 mattresses are disposed of annually in Melbourne and greater
Geelong. In 2014 councils collected (through kerbside collections, transfer stations and illegal dumping)
around 232,000. Of these 215,000 were recycled and 17,000 were landfilled.
Mattress waste is growing. In 2011 metropolitan councils collected around 130,000 mattresses. In 2014
that number grew to around 215,000. In 2014 it is estimated that 427,000 new mattresses were sold in
Melbourne. As the population grows, it is expected that the number of new and discarded mattresses
will continue to grow.
Mattresses vary in size, weight, material composition and construction. They are large, heavy and
cumbersome to manage. There is no easy disposal method for users, particularly households.
There is a range of recycling processes used, ranging from refurbishment, manual dismantling coupled
with mechanical separation, to mixed shredding that recovers steel. These methods send almost half of
all mattress materials to landfill. While the steel components have mature markets, products made from
other materials have niche, small markets that can be subject to economic fluctuations.
There are opportunities to maximise the recycling of mattresses. An MWRRG-supported collective
procurement process and investment model has the potential to identify technologies and
methodologies that could improve outcomes.
1 Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide MWRRG, its portfolio partners, local government and industry
stakeholders with an analysis of sector-specific data about mattress waste generation, disposal and
collection arrangements.
In recent months mattress waste has been identified as a growing problem by metropolitan councils
and the community. The consensus is that more should be done to recover and recycle mattress
components.
By providing this information MWRRG aims to support future procurement and investment decisions
that can maximise mattress recycling.
This report is based on research and analysis conducted by Mobius Environmental Consulting, on
behalf of MWRRG.
2 Objectives and methodology
The objectives for the research were to:
 assess current levels of municipal mattress recovery and recycling occurring across metropolitan
Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula Shire and the City of Greater Geelong
 investigate and analyse the volume and percentage of mattress reuse, recycling and disposal
occurring within the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector
 identify and summarise the issues and potential opportunities, including emerging technologies for
increasing mattress recycling across the metropolitan region.
The research methodology comprised two key phases:
Phase One: Local government
This involved:
 conducting a review and an analysis of current local government mattress disposal and recovery
operations across metropolitan Melbourne, including the Mornington Peninsula and greater Geelong
 providing an analysis of the volume of mattresses recovered for recycling and reprocessing and the
methodologies used.
Phase Two: Landfills and commercial re-processors
This involved:
 surveying metropolitan Melbourne’s landfill operators to identify the volume of mattresses disposed
to landfill and any operational issues resulting from their disposal
 conducting a review and an analysis of current commercial mattress recovery and reprocessing
operations, emerging technologies and trends in mattress recycling.
Findings arising from the research undertaken by Mobius Environmental Consulting for MWRRG
including opportunities and possible options to address key problems associated with the disposal and
recovery of mattress components for recycling are presented in this summary report.
3 Context
Following the 2011 voluntary liquidation of DreamSafe, considered to be a pioneer in the field of
recycling and reuse of mattresses, MWRRG was informed that two DreamSafe warehouses, one in
Cheltenham and the other in Moorabbin, had been left with stockpiles of over 50,000 mattresses.
A subsequent MWRRG 2011 survey of 30 local government councils reviewed and assessed current
and future mattress disposal and recovery requirements. Survey results revealed that up to 130,9891
mattresses were collected by the 27 councils. Of this total, an estimated 58,975 mattresses collected by
councils were recycled via mattress recovery operators other than DreamSafe2. Except for the
estimated 11,810 mattresses sent to landfill, this meant a significant number of used mattresses,
approximately 60,204, would potentially have needed managing, either through landfill disposal or
through another mattress recovery operator(s) following the closure of DreamSafe.
It should be noted that these figures were exclusive of used mattresses collected commercially.
Although the number of end-of-life mattresses generated was largely unknown, calculations placed the
number of used mattresses requiring collection in Melbourne at more than 200,000.3
In 2012-13 Knox City Council, in partnership with Knox Transfer Station and Waste Management (WM)
Services received funding through the Metropolitan Local Government Waste and Resource Recovery
1
This figure of 130,989 mattresses comprises: 98,547 via hard waste collections, 28,300 via drop-offs at transfer stations, 6,100 via
dumped rubbish pickups.
2
Twelve of the twenty-seven councils surveyed indicated they had used Dream Safe to recycle mattresses they had collected
3
MWRRG Councils 2012 population 3.85million – Aust.Local Govt Guide. 25% <18 yrs / 75%>18yrs –ABS. 61% adults in marriage or
partnership – assume double bed – ABS. Average mattress replacement age 10 to 15 yrs – international estimates and bedding
industry comments.
Fund to install equipment to recover mattress components for recycling. While this helped to fill some of
the gap left by the exit of DreamSafe, it did heighten awareness of the increasing volume of used
mattresses as a waste management issue. It also raised concern about the industry’s capacity to
recover components and access end markets for recovered materials and its adherence to safe OHS
workplace practices for employees.
Following the evaluation of the Knox bed mattress recycling initiative, the following questions were
raised:

What is needed to increase mattress recovery and greater recycling of mattress components?

What would reduce the number of mattresses going to landfill?

How to manage the costs of mattress recycling and support a more sustainable mattress
recycling industry?
These questions pointed to a need for research and a report on the status of mattress recycling across
metropolitan Melbourne and greater Geelong.
4 Research findings
4.1 How many mattresses are councils collecting and recycling?
Thirty-two councils in metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong were surveyed in 2014 to determine a
range of factors, including:

what mattress collection and recycling or disposal services were provided

the number of mattresses collected

the pathways for mattress disposal and the ultimate destination of mattresses.
Survey findings indicate approximately 232,418 end-of-life mattresses were recovered from households
by council-provided services in 2014. They included scheduled and on-call collections and drop-offs at
council-owned Resource Recovery Centre/Transfer Stations and collection of mattresses illegally
dumped.
Table 1: Mattresses collected by metropolitan region councils4
Collection Stream
Scheduled Collection services
Number Collected
% Total Collected
72,590
31.2%
5
83,522
35.9%
Illegally dumped mattresses
19,367
8.3%
RRC/TS/LF Drop-off
56,489
24.4%
Other
450
0.2%
TOTAL
232,418
100.0%
On-call Collection services
6
While it is estimated that most councils collect on average between 20 and 60 mattresses per 1000
residents, there is little information about the factors which influence the variations in used mattress
generation between councils.
Of the mattresses collected by councils, approximately 19,367 (8%) were illegally dumped. The issue of
illegal mattress dumping was commonly given as the reason for providing mattress collection services.
Only three of the 32 councils surveyed believed that illegal dumping was decreasing (See Figure 1).
4
Includes Mornington Peninsula and City of Greater Geelong
Includes “Other (special needs collections)
6
RRC (Resource Recovery Centre); TS (Transfer Station(); LF (Landfill)-takes into account only facilities owned, operated or controlled by councils
5
Figure 1: Councils’ perceptions of illegal dumping of mattresses
3%
9%
Decreasing
Unchanged
41%
Increasing
47%
Unknown
The cost of household mattress collections generally form part of councils’ hard waste collection
services and their arrangements entered into with commercial operators contracted to collect the items
for reprocessing.
The average gate price for mattress drop-off for all Resource Recovery Centres/Transfer Stations and
landfills - both council-owned and private - is $26.17 with prices ranging from $20 up to $45 per
mattress.
Councils generally use commercial contractors to provide their mattress recycling capability with
reprocessing methods, varying according to end-purpose. As shown in Figure 2, the most common
processing approaches used are as follows:
 Manual dismantling which involves dismantling of the mattresses to reduce disposal costs and
refurbish for resale
 Complete manual dismantling (often using sharp cutting instruments) to achieve well separated
materials for recycling, e.g. steel and springs and other component materials to minimise levels of
contamination
 Dismantling and shredding which involves initial manual dismantling to recover the non-steel
components, followed by mechanical shredding to recover the steel springs. The two-stage process
minimises contamination, allowing the steel to be baled and delivered to metal recyclers for
recycling
 Loader ripping involves tearing apart the mattresses using on-site loader grabs to separate and
recover the steel. The steel is then delivered in an uncompressed form to metal recyclers
 Shredding and magnetic recovery involves mechanically shredding the mattresses with other hard
waste and the shredded steel is magnetically recovered. The process is focused on reduced manual
handling to decrease the risk of injury which can arise with manual handling.
Figure 2: Council mattress recycling methodology
3% 3%
11%
Hand dismantling
40%
Mechanical shredding
Dismantle & shred
Loader ripping
Refurbishment
43%
The prioritisation of the following factors is believed to influence which processing methods contractors
will use:
 an objective to recover materials for reprocessing or recycling
 management of work health and safety risk to collection and recycling staff
 volume of landfill avoidance that is achievable, which may in turn influence a contractor (and their
customers) to adopt a particular methodology
 capital cost of reprocessing equipment which may influence a contractor to use manual methodology
instead of automation leading to lower unit recovery costs
 reprocessing costs which may influence a contractor to only aim for a certain level of materials
recovery based on availability of end-markets and willingness to pay
 choosing more labour-intensive manual methods, although perhaps more costly to provide
employment.
Safety and materials recovery priorities are commonly presented as the main reason for choosing a
particular recovery and recycling method.
The actual landfill diversion of materials recovered from council collected mattresses is estimated at
55%, which means that significant amounts of material components are still going to landfill.
Figure 3: Percentage of mattress materials recovered
45%
Materials Recovered
55%
Materials Landfilled
4.2 What happens to mattresses that are dropped off at landfills and resource recovery
centres/transfer stations?
Mattresses delivered for disposal or recycling at Resource Recovery Centres/Transfer Stations and
landfills are processed similarly to mattresses collected through council collection services.
A comprehensive listing of council-owned and private Resource Recovery Centres/Transfer Stations
across metropolitan Melbourne identified 34 facilities which regularly receive mattress waste. In total,
130,105 mattresses were received at these facilities in 2014. Of these more than 99% were
reprocessed in some way using a range of processing methods as described previously. Fifty-nine
percent of the total number was delivered directly to one facility (mostly via council hard waste
collections). Council owned and operated or council owned and privately operated accounted for 20 of
these 34 facilities.
Some landfill operators consider mattresses to present operational problems, including:

entanglement of mattress springs in compaction equipment

uneven settlement in the landfill cell

the formation of voids arising from mattresses not properly compacted.7
Thirteen landfills were identified as receiving mattresses. 32,378 mattresses were received at landfills in
metropolitan Melbourne. More than 95% were reprocessed in some way to reduce volume and recover
the steel prior to landfilling. Two landfills received around 93% of all mattresses delivered to landfills in
metropolitan Melbourne and greater Geelong.
Disposal pricing is understood to range from $20 up to $50 per mattress at Resource Recovery
Centres/Transfer Stations facilities with some council owned facilities offering a subsidised price for
residents. At landfills, pricing is believed to range between $20.50 and $66 per mattress.
4.3 Commercial collection and reprocessing operations
Surveys of commercial reprocessors indicated that in 2014, approximately 271,896 mattresses were
recycled in Melbourne. Around 79% of these were sourced from council collection services (including
illegally dumped mattresses (19,367)).
There are perhaps as many as 30 businesses operating as mattress reprocessors. However, only the
commercial mattress reprocessors (18) which were identified as operating in metropolitan Melbourne
were interviewed. These reprocessors included contractors providing mattress recycling capability for
councils and/or independently collecting and reprocessing mattresses commercially.
The remaining 21% of mattresses were believed to be sourced from outside the metropolitan area, for
instance greater Geelong and from other mattress waste generators, such as institutional or nonhousehold users (schools, hospitals, correction facilities, hotels and universities).
Commercial reprocessors can be divided into two service categories:
 Reprocessors who collect the mattresses and take them away for recycling
 Reprocessors operating a drop-off facility where mattresses are delivered by the generator.
Pricing is similar for both types of services with averages of $25.75 for collection recyclers and $26.83
for drop-off recyclers. The level of material recovery achieved is usually determined by the
collection/delivery system and the processing methods utilised and access to reliable markets for
materials. As steel accounts for 50-60% of the weight of a mattress and is also the component with the
highest commodity value, the priority for many reprocessors is on steel recovery (See Figure 4).
7
Various Australian landfill operators - personal comments.
Figure 4: Material recovery priority in metropolitan Melbourne area
36%
Steel only
Steel/other
64%
It is estimated that in 2014 approximately 138,000 mattresses collected were reprocessed in Melbourne
by two of Melbourne-based mattress recyclers. If Geelong is included, estimates are that almost two
thirds (165,920) or 61% of all mattresses commercially recycled are received by three operators with
the remaining market share (between <1% and 7%) shared by other operators.
From interviews with the operators and desktop research conducted, the average life of mattress
recovery operators appears to be less than four years. This could be attributed to a range of problems
mattress recovery operators are said to be facing. This could in turn be affecting the capacity of the
industry to establish agreed codes of practice; codes of practice that could lead to improved standards
of operation, efficiencies and improved profitability. The barriers in question relate to having (or gaining
increased) access to:
 marketing knowledge and expertise (for instance a marketing plan) to guide business planning and
operations
 sufficient capital to support business development, for instance to invest in new and improved
mattress recovery equipment
 environmental certification to increase industry and consumer confidence that mattresses are
actually recovered and recycled as claimed
 knowledge and application of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations to provide for safe
work practices
 adequate formal qualifications, provision of training, development of a specific licence or
membership of an industry association to help drive development of industry standards, best
practice and market development support
 knowledge and understanding of the business and financial management processes that help to
secure profitability, as opposed to over reliance on maintaining or gaining market share.
4.4 How many mattresses are generated from institutional (non-household) users?
Non-household users across metropolitan Melbourne account for a relatively large number of beds and
the annual replacement rate of mattresses is somewhat higher than for the general population. The
estimated total annual usage of mattresses for institutional users, such a hotels, correctional facilities
and hospitals is 18,636. It is assumed that many of these mattresses would have been accounted for in
numbers received by landfill, Resource Recovery Centres/Transfer Stations or collected by commercial
reprocessors.
Information on the volumes of used mattresses collected from the institutional (non-household) sector is
less readily available than the local government sector (for commercial and/or security reasons). In
general, the non-household sector may account for around 5% of the total usage of mattresses in the
greater Melbourne and Geelong region. This figure is based on the annual usage of mattress figures
collected from this number of institutions:
 Schools in the greater Melbourne area offering boarding to pupils (17)





Residential colleges from the nine universities operating from 22 campuses in greater Melbourne.
Victorian Correctional Facilities in the metropolitan Melbourne area (7)
Major public and private hospitals in metropolitan Melbourne (32)
Hotels, motels and serviced apartments in metropolitan Melbourne with more than 15 rooms
Australian Defence Force facilities with on-site residential accommodation in metropolitan Melbourne
(6).
4.5 How many new mattresses are entering the market?
A listing of the main mattress retailers was compiled in order to gather information about the use of
mattresses, the number of new mattresses entering the market each year and the relationship between
mattress retailing and mattress recycling. Findings include the following:
 203 mattress retail outlets operate across metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong
 An estimated 427,000 mattresses are sold per annum (based on the average of projections provided
by a number of the retailers which responded to the survey)
 online retailing of mattresses is evident and appears to be increasing. However, reliable data
regarding the size of the market is not yet available. Sixteen individual online retailers were
identified.
 Some mattress retailers offer customers the option of having the old mattress removed at the time of
delivering the newly purchased mattress
 Initial discussions have been undertaken between some of the larger mattress retailers and major
mattress manufacturers and a few institutional users in an effort to consider the viability of some
form of take-back scheme.
4.6 What are the emerging trends and technologies in mattress reprocessing?
4.6.1 Australia
Currently the majority of mattress reprocessing undertaken in Australia to recover material components
(steel, foam, timber, textiles and wadding) for recycling is done using manual dismantling techniques
known as stripping, filleting and flaying. There is recognition by the industry that in comparison, the use
of mechanised processing systems stands to offer more benefits, less risks and fewer limitations with
some options being explored, such as high-pressure water units for deconstruction. However, the
extent or how quickly mattress recycling operators are able to change over to mechanised systems is
likely to be influenced by the requirements and/or priorities of local government and commercial
generators to:
 avoid landfill disposal and the issues caused by the landfilling of mattresses
 increase material recovery and reuse to provide for beneficial reuse of constituent materials
 reduce occupational, health and safety problems associated with handling heavy, cumbersome to
handle, potentially soiled or infectious waste item
 contribute to the costs of higher order reprocessing investment to separate and recover materials.
There is evidence in some Victorian states of a trend towards greater use of technology to address
issues associated with manual handling of mattresses such as:
 The rights to automated mattress handling technology originating in the Netherlands that have been
secured by a recycler based in Victoria to mechanically dismantle mattresses8
 High-pressure water cleaning equipment that has been adapted by a NSW-based technology
developer to rapidly deconstruct mattresses.9
4.6.2 Internationally
Internationally, a number of countries have started considering or implementing Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) mattress recovery schemes or voluntary take-back schemes.
For instance, the Netherlands10 engages with retailers and manufacturers to extend their product
responsibility to include post-consumer management of the product and its packaging. The emergence
of EPR schemes and/or development of specific technologies may help to further drive the
development of alternative technologies and approaches.
8
9
See www.ticgroup.com.au/mattress-recycling
See www.innoveq.com.au
A broad evaluation of the overseas mattress disposal market indicates that landfill and incineration (with
a level of energy and metals recovery) are the predominant technologies used in Europe. In Canada
and North America, reprocessing involves generally low-technology and almost all are undertaken
using manual dismantling approaches.
In addition, relatively low wages and minimal focus on managing OHS risks may be a contributing
barrier limiting the development of automated technologies in North America.
However, there are some examples of specific technologies that have been developed in the United
Kingdom, parts of Europe and North America to provide for improved separation and handling of
components during the mattress recycling process.
Some of these examples include automated processing, semi-automated processing, high pressure
water processing, vertical-feed mattress strippers, steel spring-set baling technologies and mattress
compression technologies.
Western Europe
Although mattress disposal is largely limited to
landfill and incineration (with a level of energy
and metals recovery), a number of advanced
automated technologies designed for high
throughput have been developed in France
and the Netherlands.
The technologies in France are based on a
combination of manual handling and mechanical
stripping/delamination for the mattress components.
In the Netherlands, technologies range from manual
dismantling to full automation11
USA
The St Vincent de Paul Society, which claims
to be the largest mattress recycler in North
America, operates a semi-automated mattress
recycling facility in Oakland CA. The
methodology is based on manual and
mechanical dismantling and shredding with
electromagnetic recovery of steel.
United Kingdom
Landfill avoidance of mattresses in the United
Kingdom is driven by the EU Landfill Directive
which financially penalises heavy reliance on
landfill and has provided a pricing floor of sorts
for the development of semi-automated
mattress recycling technologies.
A number of Australian operators have
apparently visited emerging technology
proponents in the United Kingdom and are
considering incorporating similar semiautomated mattress recycling technologies.
10
Auping & Van Gansewinkel take back old mattresses: Recycling International 14.07.11 www.recyclinginternational.com
http://www.recyc-matelas.com/en/contactez-nous (France)
11
Retour Matras Recycling Process: http://www.retourmatras.nl/index.php/recycling/?lang=en
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS_Srxz1-s8
5 Analysis of findings
From the research undertaken the following conclusions could be drawn:
5.1 The volume of used mattresses is growing
The volume of used mattresses (in excess of 232,418) estimated to be reprocessed in 2014 from
council collected mattresses across metropolitan Melbourne was almost 80% more than the 2011
estimate of 130,9891 collected by councils. This suggests that used mattresses, as a heavy
cumbersome waste material, present a waste management and resource recovery issue for those
involved in the mattress recycling industry, from disposal through to collection, reprocessing and endmarket users of mattress recovered materials. As Melbourne’s population continues to grow, it could be
reasonably assumed that the volume of used mattresses requiring collection and reprocessing or
disposal will continue to rise as well.
5.2 Recovery of materials is limited
Current mattress recovery approaches limit the recovery of materials due to heavy reliance on manual
dismantling. Whilst mixed shredding is used by some operators to reduce manual handling and recover
steel components, it minimises recovery of other mattress components. This is because the component
materials are often processed together and the output amalgamated. Only the steel can be readily
separated from the shredded output with a small fraction of the shredded steel and wires remaining
unrecoverable due to entanglement with other shredded materials.
5.3 Mattress recycling regulations, standards of practice and reprocessing costs
For the mattress recycling industry to develop and strengthen its standards of practice and mattress
recovery operations, it would seem that the industry requires assistance and support to:
 establish industry codes of practice to help improve operating standards such as:
o issuing of licences for facilities and collection vehicles
o operators undergoing specific training
o establishing environmental credentials to provide for increased confidence in the industry. (This
would be of benefit to existing and new operators to understand the type of investment and facility
siting that is required to receive and store mattresses, undertake reprocessing activities, store
and transport recovered materials and manage residual waste)
 improve understanding of OHS and environmental regulatory requirements, and provide workplaces
that are healthy, safe and compliant with OHS and environmental regulations
 minimise the impacts that illegal dumping and lack of take-back collection schemes may be having
on the industry’s capacity to charge and negotiate sustainable collection and processing fees to
cover collection and reprocessing costs.
5.4 There is some evidence larger retailers are offering take-back collections
At present manufacturers and retailers of mattresses are not required to contribute towards the cost of
recycling, disposal or illegal dumping of mattresses. However, there is evidence that some of the larger
retailers are offering take-back collections to customers purchasing new mattresses. If the retail sector
as a whole could be encouraged to establish take-back schemes or drop off collection points through
charging disposal fees in the purchase price, it may help to reduce illegal dumping and collection costs
for local government.
5.5 Only steel enjoys access to mature markets
Many small to medium sized mattress recycling businesses have developed niche markets for
particular materials, for instance wadding for punching bags and gym mats. However these markets
often rely on small users too and can be vulnerable to economic fluctuations. Development of minimum
standards of material quality for a range of end-users is required as is the controlled trial of innovative
reuses to prove the value of the material.
Other than steel, recovered materials from mattress reprocessing generally do not enjoy access to
mature markets to achieve consistent resale and reuse.
6 Opportunities
To maximise recovery and recycling of all mattress components, MWRRG considers there are a
number of questions that need to be explored:
 What are the potential opportunities for improving mattress recycling outcomes?
 What’s needed to increase industry confidence to invest in more advanced mattress recovery
technologies?
 How can more mattress material components be recovered for recycling?
 What can be done to encourage retailers to establish take-back schemes and/or collection/drop off
points?
 What can be done to assist local government with managing mattresses as a waste issue, including
reducing illegal dumping?
MWRRG considers mattresses a growing waste challenge that needs to be addressed. MWRRG will
seek to partner with local government and industry to:
 facilitate a roundtable discussion with reprocessors and councils to identify barriers to achieving
improved environmental, safety and commercially viable outcomes.
 facilitate a workshop or roundtable discussion with recovered material re-users to define recovered
material minimum quality standards and identify end-market characteristics which might encourage
greater support for reuse and recycling of materials from end-of-life mattresses.
 explore product stewardship opportunities.
 initiate a MWRRG supported collective procurement process and investment model to identify
technologies and methods which would lead to improved outcomes.
 identify mattress recovery specifications which could be included in hard waste procurement
contracts to drive better separation and reuse of materials.
Appendix A: Emerging technologies in
mattress reprocessing and recycling
In its research conducted for the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group (MWRRG),
Mobius Environmental Consulting investigated some emerging reprocessing technologies.
RETOURMATRAS – Netherlands: Electric crane loading mattresses into automated processing
system12
Retourmatras in Lelystad provides an
integrated mattress collection and recycling
service utilising a fully automated reprocessing
facility designed in-house. The company also
sells their mattress reprocessing plants as a
turnkey solution. Retourmatras places
containers on sites which generate high
volumes of mattresses to allow containerised
delivery of mattresses protected from the
elements. Manual handling is virtually
eliminated from the point of delivery of the
containerised mattresses.
Features include:
 electric powered loaders unload mattresses and electric cranes move them onto a conveyor
 an advanced dust extraction system operates throughout the facility to provide a healthy working
environment for the relatively few workers required by the process
 metal detectors separate inner-spring and foam mattresses into separate reprocessing streams
 an automated edge-cutter slices each mattress all around to allow the textile cover (ticking) to be
removed by a peeling-roller
 foam and other layers are separately removed and the spring-set is shredded for collection of the
steel in a form acceptable to metal recyclers
 all materials are separately baled for delivery to commodity markets.
Dust extraction system in Retourmatras automated processing system (www.retourmatras.nl)
12
TIC Group owns the rights to the Retourmatras technology in Australia. See www.ticgroup.com.au/mattress-recycling
INNOVEQ – AUSTRALIA: High pressure water mattress deconstruction - Australia
Innoveq has produced a concept design high-pressure water unit for deconstruction of mattresses13. A
prototype unit has been constructed and tested at a third party water treatment facility in Unanderra
NSW. The concept is designed to be built as a self-contained module transported in a container for use
on a site with waste water disposal capacity. The deconstruction equipment adapts existing high
pressure water jet technology to strip the mattress fabric away from the inner springs, leaving the spring
set clean and ready for recycling. The sequence of processes and components in the system is:
 Mattress in-feed conveyor receives mattresses which could be mechanically or manually loaded.
 An automated array of high pressure water jets moves in a programmed pattern across the surface
of the mattress, processing it within 60 seconds.
 Collection hopper arrangement mounted beneath the cutting zone is designed to receive cut
fragments of material and foam and the water used in the jet cutting.
 Dewatering conveyor removes fabric and foam from the collection hopper - removing surplus water
 Water filtration system sanitizes water and removes particulates, sufficient for recirculation
 Mattress spring-set out-feed conveyor removes the cleaned steel spring-set from the deconstruction
unit.
 Technology delivers clean steel and bagged dewatered mixed mattress filling materials
 Spring compaction unit takes the flat spring-set and rolls, folds and/or cuts the spring-set suitable for
recycling
Prototype high-pressure water jet system mattress deconstruction trial 14
The system aims to deliver steel suitable for re-smelting and dewatered/bagged flock suitable for carpet
underlay or waste-to-energy infeed. The technology developer is currently undertaking the
commercialisation of the intellectual property of the system worldwide15.
13
www.innoveq.com.au
Trial undertaken at TPI Unanderra liquid treatment plant NSW
15
www.businessinnovationgroup.com.au/innoveq
14
EBS Automation Llanelli – Wales: Semi-automated processing
Semi-automated mattress stripping machine
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council commissioned the design and manufacture of a purpose-built mattress
deconstruction machine by special purpose equipment manufacturer EBS Automation. The mattress
recycling system is located at Llwydcoed Waste Recycling Centre and consists of a semi-automated
mattress splitting machine, which allows the components to be separated and a large shredder which
reduces the volume of the steel springs by approximately 90%. The 450m2 facility also houses areas for
the sorting of textiles – reducing contamination.
Mattresses are placed on an in-feed conveyor and split along the sides manually before being fed
through the mattress stripping machine.
 The mattress stripping machine peels off upper and lower covers.
 Covers are dropped into a shredder below and then into a baler.
 Steel moves through stripper and drops down into steel shredder.
The Llwydcoed plant uses three men and handles about 40,000 mattresses annually - with capacity to
process up to 100,000 annually. The EBS machine allows for all parts of mattress to be recycled potentially nothing going to landfill. The project was supported via £400,000 grant funding invested by
the Welsh Government.
Manual removal of stripped spring-set from mattress-stripping machine
MATTCANADA- Canada: Vertical-feed Mattress Stripper
MattCanada166has produced an innovative vertical-feed system which reduces the manual
deconstruction required in other systems. The description of the system is based on photos shown on
the internet and a video of the prototype operation posted on YouTube13. No information has been
provided by MattCanada - the apparent developer of the process.
The system requires the mattress to be stood on its side and manually fed into the machine between
two rollers which move the mattress through the machine. High speed rotating cylindrical brushes flay
materials from the mattress, leaving the spring-set fairly clean. The mattress is stripped in a few
seconds. The concept has been described by other industry operators as “similar to a giant automatic
car wash”.
The system as shown on the internet requires manual in-feed of a vertically oriented mattress and
manual removal of the deconstructed mattress components. It is rumoured to have caused serious
injury to a worker and photos and video have since been removed from internet. In spite of this it is
included due to the innovative nature of its concept.
OLAF – USA: Purpose-designed Spring-set Baler
Delivery of steel from mattress spring-sets in a form acceptable to metal recyclers is critical to the
viability of mattress recycling operations. Steel mills require scrap steel to be presented in a form which
is easy to handle and feed into the smelter.
Many reprocessors rely on shredding and electro-magnetic recovery of the steel.
 The shredding process needs to be quite intensive to deliver the high-tensile steel in pieces small
enough to be acceptable to steel mills.
 Due to entangling with other shredded components a percentage of the shredded steel is not
recovered by the electro-magnet.
 Shredding steel along with potentially combustible materials presents a fire risk.
Infeed of spring-sets to Olaf baler (www.olafindustries.com)
16
YouTube - MattCanada (2009) Mattress dismantling system http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA0fqT9IL9g
OLAF-USA: Bale of compressed mattress spring-sets ready for ejection (www.olafindustries.com)
Olaf Industries is a northern Minnesota manufacturer of mattress recycling equipment.8 The prototype
Coil Spring Compactor was designed for Goodwill Industries Duluth to produce steel bales which meet
steel density requirements for recycling at a local foundry (This is no place for a mattress – Industry
taking lead to recycle: Bed Times March 2013).It addresses a number of issues common in other baling
and spring-steel delivery systems:





Horizontal infeed allows safer loading and stacking of spring-sets.
Infeed allows multiple spring-sets of different sizes.
Minimised potential for steel springs to become entangled in compaction components.
Compacts in three dimensions.
Compaction cycle under four minutes.
Compacted bales of spring-sets being palletised for transfer to steel smelter
Appendix B: Glossary of terms used in the
mattress manufacturing and reprocessing
industries
Term
Definition
Commercial waste
Waste generated by businesses and industries (including shopping centres, restaurants and
offices) and institutions (such as schools, hospitals and government offices), excluding
construction and demolition waste and municipal waste.
Type of mattress spring construction in which a single wire is formed into a row of
interconnected coils
Natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats,
doormats, brushes, and mattresses.
Continuous coil
Coir / husk
Corner Guards
Small (usually triangular-shaped) pieces of metal or plastic designed to cover the sharp
corners of the frame of the mattress or base preventing them from tearing through the textile
outer cover.
Drop-off
Disposal or recycling collection system or facility which relies on the generator to deliver the
mattress to a central location, either an installed or mobile collection station or the
reprocessing plant itself.
Edge wires
Heavier gauge wire construction at the edge of the mattress spring-set designed to prevent
sagging of the mattress edges
Ensemble
Two-piece mattress set comprising mattress and base.
Extended Producer
Responsibility
(EPR)
An environmental protection strategy which requires the manufacturer of a product to be
responsible for the entire life-cycle of the product, especially for its take-back, recycling and
final disposal
Filleting/ Flaying
The process of removing the cover and layers of foam or textile padding from around the
spring set of the mattress
Hard waste
Household waste items which are too bulky to fit in the standard household MGB. Can include
mattresses - as well as carpet, car tyres, electrical goods, empty paint tins, furniture, garden
tools, hot water systems, oversize toys and white goods.
HSE (Health, Safety
and Environment)
System which prioritises the importance of environmental protection, occupational health and
safety at work.
Illegal dumping
Disposal of waste in an unpermitted area. Illegally dumped wastes are usually non-hazardous
materials that are dumped to avoid either the disposal fees or the time and effort required for
legal disposal
Kerbside collection
Household waste and recyclables collected household residences. Materials may be collected
in MGBs (as in most weekly or fortnightly kerbside waste)
Landfill
Site or facility for the disposal of waste materials by burial.
Latex
Refers to products made from either natural rubber latex (rubber tree sap) or via a synthetic
process. Latex mattresses are usually made from solid latex and rely on the elasticity of the
material to provide support without any inner-spring systems.
Local Government
Area (LGA)
The defined area governed by a local council. Designations include borough, city, district,
municipality, region, shire, town, community government, Aboriginal shire and island.
Mattresses
Mattresses include Bunk, California King (183 cm × 213 cm), Double (137 cm × 193 cm),
Extra Long Single( 99 cm × 203cm), Grand King (203 cm × 203 cm), King(183 cm × 203 cm ),
King Single (107 cm × 193 cm), Queen (152 cm × 203 cm), Single( 91 cm × 193 cm), Super
King (203 cm × 203 cm), Super Single (107 cm × 193 cm), Texas King (203 cm × 203 cm)
Mattress stiffener
Panel of semi-rigid material used to make the mattress feel more firm. Can be made of any
firm material such as plastic or timber slats but commonly made from latex and coir matting.
Mattress stripping
Dismantling a mattress by cutting along the sides and peeling away the layers of textile cover,
foam and padding to expose the steel spring-set.
The area defined by the boundaries of the Local Government Areas of Banyule, Bayside,
Boroondara, Brimbank, Cardinia , Casey, Darebin, Frankston, Glen Eira, Greater Dandenong,
Hobson’s Bay, Hume, Kingston, Knox , Manningham, Maribyrnong, Maroondah, Melbourne,
Melton, Monash, Moonee Valley, Moreland ,Mornington Peninsula, Nillumbik, Port Phillip,
Stonnington ,Whitehorse, Whittlesea, Wyndham, Yarra City, Yarra Ranges
Metropolitan
Melbourne
MSW (Municipal
Solid waste)
The solid component of the waste stream arising from domestic premises.
Non-woven textile
Fibrous material obtained by shredding un-felted rags or waste. Commonly used as a padding
layer between foam and the steel spring-set, sometimes the material is called “shoddy”.
OH&S/OHS
Occupational Health and Safety
On-call collection
Service for kerbside collection of household hard waste materials arranged by pre-booking
rather than at a regularly scheduled time.
Personal protective
equipment (PPE)
Protective clothing, helmets, goggles or other garments or equipment designed to protect the
wearer's body from injury or infection.
Pillow top Soft
Pillow top Soft cushioning extra layer on top of a mattress. Can be either a discrete pocketed
layer containing soft synthetic fill material or an extra layer of padding built into the top of the
mattress.
Plastic netting
Layer of plastic (usually HDPE) netting built into some mattresses in order to hold layers of
wadding in place.
Pocket springs
Inner spring system made up of unconnected individual springs each contained in separate
textile pockets.
Rebirthing
Reselling a used mattress as a new or second quality mattress, usually minimising signs of
wear and soiling by cleaning or re-covering the mattress.
Re-covering, reskinning,
re-sleeving
Fitting a new textile cover to a used mattress in order to resell
Recycling
Diverting component materials of mattresses that have been disposed to some form of reuse.
Regional area
Any area outside the metropolitan area of the state capital city.
Renovating
Repairing a used mattress in some way in order to resell as a rebuilt mattress. May be limited
to cleaning or disinfecting the mattress only.
Re-processing /
Processing
Dismantling of a mattress and recovery of some or all of the component materials.
Resource Recovery
Centre (RRC)
Drop-off or discharge facility for collections which includes some segregation or separation of
recoverable materials. May also include actual reprocessing of materials.
Skinning
The process of removing the cover and layers of foam or textile padding from around the
spring set of the mattress. Also called flaying.
Smelter
Metallurgical production and recovery facility to which steel recovered from mattress springsets is directed for melting and reduction.
Stripping
Dismantling a mattress by cutting along the sides and peeling away the layers of textile cover,
foam and padding to expose the steel spring-set. Also called mattress stripping.
Tick/Ticking
Mattress cover usually made from cotton or polyester
Twin
Standard one-person mattress size with dimensions of 91 cm × 193 cm. Also called Single.
Wadding
Fibrous material obtained by shredding un-felted rags or waste. Commonly used as a padding
layer between foam and the steel spring-set. Also, referred to as Non-woven textile.
WHS (Work Health
and Safety)
Occupational health and safety requirements are met to ensure safety of workplaces for
employees and staff. Also referred to as OHS.
Contact
PHONE (03) 8698 9800
EMAIL [email protected]
OFFICE Level4, Tower 4, World Trade Centre
18-38 Siddeley Street, Melbourne Vic 3005
POST PO Box 1326, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
mwrrg.vic.gov.au