Mattresses Matter – Sustainability Survey Report

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What consumers are saying

0
of Australians are eager to recycle their end-of-life mattresses responsibly
0
of Australians are more likely to purchase from a retailer that recycles their old mattress.
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Australians (OVER 8 in 10 ) are ready to pay a premium for a new mattress if the retailer includes collection and recycling of their old one.
0
of Australians say it’s important that their local council provides a free mattress collection and recycling service through an Approved Recycler.
0
of Australian consumers say that sustainability is important to them when purchasing a new mattress.
0
of Australian consumers say it’s important that their new mattress is made with recyclable materials

The problem with end-of-life mattresses

According to the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council (ABSC), 1.8 million mattresses are disposed of each year in Australia, stretching from Darwin to the tip of Tasmania when laid end-to-end. 740,000 of these are sent to landfill, equating to approximately 22,000 tonnes of needless waste.

Each mattress can take up to 120 years to decompose, taking up enormous amounts of limited landfill space and contributing to environmental pollution. Meanwhile, the valuable resources contained within them – like steel and foam – are wasted.

Even in the best-case scenario where mattresses are recycled, many of the materials can’t currently be recycled in Australia. For example, pocket springs greatly reduce the recovery of steel, and the recycling market for memory foam is limited. This leads to an additional 15,000 tonnes of mattress material being sent to landfill annually.

Due to the scale of the problem, mattresses were included in the Minister’s Product Stewardship Priority List for 2023-2024, after first appearing on the list the year prior. The ACT has banned mattresses in landfill, and we are hopeful that other states may soon follow suit.

The key to breaking this cycle starts before consumers head to the checkout and ends when they dispose of their old mattress responsibly.

What actions can you take?

CONSUMERS

Book a mattress collection through our online portal: softlanding.com.au/book

Ask your mattress retailer if they partner with us to recycle your old mattress; shop with a retailer that does provide this service.

Email your local council and ask if they partner with us to recycle residents’ mattresses; if not, ask them to provide this service.

RETAILERS

Partner with us to collect and recycle consumers’ old mattresses. [email protected]

Stock mattresses that are made with recyclable materials.

COUNCILS

Partner with us to collect and recycle residents’ old mattresses, and to recycle mattresses taken to local landfills. [email protected]

About the survey

The Mattresses Matter – Sustainability Survey, conducted by Soft Landing Mattress Recycling between 27 Feb 2024 – 29 April 2024, received 1,016 responses from adult mattress consumers in Australia. It consisted of ten multiple choice questions, analysing consumers’ opinions and behaviours regarding the sustainability and recycling of mattresses.

As Australia’s largest mattress recycler, we launched this survey to raise awareness about the issue of end-of-life mattresses in landfills, educate consumers on the avenues available to them to recycle their old mattresses responsibly, and gather data to support our partnerships with mattress retailers and local councils.

The survey report was finalised in June 2024 and released publicly in July 2024. The results will support our mission to collect and recycle all of Australia’s old mattresses while creating jobs for people who need them most. The goal? To end mattresses in landfill, for good.