Nine Lives Mattress Recycling                                        

Welcome To Nine Lives Mattress Recycling

Nine Lives Mattress Recycling is a company in the post-consumer mattress field. Our purpose is responding to the need for more space in our landfills and to recycle the components of a mattress and box spring in order to save landfill space in our communitites.  NLMR began recycling mattresses in 2006 by Ralph Bogan with commitment of his personal funds. NLMR manually deconstruct mattressess and box springs and seperate materials for recycling. In 2007 NLMR recycled 126 tons of mattresses and box springs. Of the 5000 units recycled the end result was approximately 33 tons of metal, 17 tons of cotton, 20 tons of wood, 15 tons of foam, 20 tons of poly-pad and 21 tons of waste.

The average mattress takes up 23 cubic feet of landfill space. In 2007 NLMR saved 115,000. cubic feet of landfill space that equals 4259.25 cubic yards and based on a $40.00 tipping fee at the landfil, each compacted cubic yard is worth approximately $10.00 per cubic yard without mattresses. Only $1.00 per cubic yard with mattresses. The difference is without mattresses each compacted cubic yard weighs between 1500 and 1800 pounds. A cubic yard of compacted mattresses weighs around 250 pounds.  Mattresses do not compact.

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As reported by Gregory Conigliaro and Paul Careau with Conigliaro Industries 

THE CASE FOR DESTRUCTION AND RECYCLING:

1) Lost Revenue every time a mattress or boxspring is sent to a rebuilder/refurbisher, it  hurts mattress manufacturers and retailers. While many rebuilders/refurbishers claim  to export their final product, in reality most are sold locally at a reduced price. As  such, the rebuilt mattresses and boxsprings compete directly against the lower end  units manufactured by most mattress manufacturing companies and sold by retailers  in the United States.

2) Sanitation and Quality Concerns while some rebuilders/refurbishers operate their  business according to local and state public health regulations, many more do not. In  fact, unless properly dismantled, sanitized and rebuilt with new felt, foam and fabric,  rebuilt mattresses are considered unsafe. In many cases, rebuilders/refurbishers simply cover a used mattress or boxspring with a new fabric layer, without replacing  or sanitizing any of the metal, felt, foam and fabric layers. Often times the original  labeling is removed from the covered layer and restitched on the new cover to make  the unit appear new and from the original manufacturer or retailer.

3) Product Stewardship Regulations many states, including South Carolina, have  enacted new Product Stewardship Regulations as part of their solid waste and  recycling master plans.

A key tenet of Product Stewardship is that manufacturers in particular should take  greater responsibility for reducing product impacts. By placing greater responsibility  for the end costs of products on manufacturers, product stewardship gives  manufacturers strong economic incentives to change how they design and  manufacture products, making them less toxic and more recyclable, and giving  consumers more choice by internalizing the costs of consumer products.
Product Stewardship also addresses the question of who should pay the cost of waste  management, including recycling, disposal, and removing toxics from the waste  stream. Currently, these costs are being borne almost entirely by local governments,  who have looked to state agencies for financial assistance. State agencies are now  looking to product manufacturers to become part of the solution by helping to pay the  costs created by the proliferation of waste that local governments must manage.  In addition, EOEA and the University of Massachusetts are jointly supporting the  creation of a new national Product Stewardship Institute based at the University of
Massachusetts at Lowell. This national Institute will assist South Carolina and other  states across the country in promoting environmentally sound product management  and design, and support negotiations with industry to reach cooperative agreements to  reduce the health and environmental impacts from consumer product manufacture,  use, storage, and disposal. At times when legislation is required to foster the goals of  product stewardship, the Institute will assist state agencies and legislative bodies on  developing legislation.

4) Liability Similar to Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs, in the electronics  industry, with the advent of Product Stewardship regulations, mattress manufacturers  and retailers face the possibility of future liability. This future liability is possible due  to the misuse or misrepresentation of rebuilt mattresses and boxsprings as new or  only slightly used and as effective as new items. Most rebuilt units are still labeled  1 Solid Waste Policy Report, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance,  January 2000, with original tags. In fact, OEM liability does not end at the point of sale, but may  continue for years. While the rebuilder/refurbisher market for usedbedding and  furniture is attractive economically in the short run, the possibility of future liability  more than eliminates the short term economic advantage of manufacturers and  retailers using rebuilders/refurbishers to dispose of used bedding.  While this potential future liability may be mitigated when rebuilt/refurbished  mattresses and boxsprings are exported, it is in no way eliminated.  5) Industry Support: As the pitfalls associated with rebuilding/refurbishing of used  bedding and furniture become apparent, manufacturers, retailers and industry trade  groups are taking notice. Their willingness to continue in the same old fashion, using  unreliable and circumspect rebuilders/refurbishers is waning. The move is on to send  used bedding to a facility where complete and total destruction and recycling can be  assured. 
CONCLUSION:
Nine Lives Mattress Recycling offers manufacturers and retailers of mattresses and boxsprings a permanent solution to the issues discussed in this publication.
We guarantee complete destruction of each unit and the recycling of the constituent parts.








The mattress shown above and below indicates it is an example of the Sanititaion and Quality concerns as stated in the case by Conigliaro and Careau.  This mattress has post consumer, unsanitized, recycled components.  The mattress was not labeled as being rebuilt from used, recycled componets.  The metal components had rust indicating the rebuilder did not sanitze or treat the metal before rebuilding.





Below is an example of the affects of removing 5000 mattresses and box springs from a landfill.  this example shows how many cubic yards of landfill space is saved,how a landfill can utilize our recycling options, save precious landfill space, and add to their bottom line each year.  This does not take into account the fact the some landfills charge a fee to the consumer to recycle mattresses and box springs that generate a new revenue stream and continue to increase their bottom line.

Mattresses/Box Springs per year                             5000
Total Tons                                                              104
Cubic Yards of Space                                             4259.25
Tipping Fee at landfill (est)                                     $40.000
Compacted cubic yard value (est)                           $25.00

Cash Value at the landfill:

$40.00 tipping fee at scale x 1104 tons                   $4160.00
$25.00 per compacted cubic yard x 4259.25
cubic yards of space                                             $106,481.25
 
Total Cash Value at the landfill                               $110,641.25

Total Cost to recycle 5000 mattresses/box springs 

Cost to reycle 5000 at $4.00 each                          $20,000.00
Cost to transport 5000 units; 120 per load               $20,000.00
40 loads at $500.00 per load                                  $40,000.00

Net positive cash value for the lanfill per 50000
units recycled                                                       $70,641.25