Westmeath mattress amnesty days to divert 20 tonnes of waste from dump

Published: Mon 6 Nov 2023, 4:49 PM

Up to 20 tonnes of mattresses could be dropped off at two free mattress amnesty days in Westmeath this month. The first collection is in Mullingar on Saturday, November 11, and the second in Athlone on Saturday November 18.

The mattresses will be collected and recycled by social enterprise Bounce Back Recycling (BBR) on behalf of Westmeath County Council.

The amnesty Ddays are open to Westmeath residents and householders only, and though the drop-off is free, people have to register in advance by booking an allocated time.

For Mullingar, book at https://mulleadys.com/booking

For Athlone, book at barnarecycling.com/booking

BBR manager Martin Ward says about 11,000 old mattresses are dumped in Westmeath every year. “It costs around €180 for every mattress that ends up in landfill – so that’s an estimated loss of over €2,000,000 to the local economy.”

BBR are working with the county council to divert the old mattresses from landfill and incineration.

Martin said: “This level of mattress dumping is equivalent to 300,000 kilos of waste. By recycling the mattresses instead, you can turn this waste into 180,000 kilos of valuable materials. That puts money back into the economy and creates green jobs, by using the materials we produce by recycling mattresses.”

Since BBR opened in the west of Ireland in 2017, they have diverted 90,000 mattresses from landfill. They have been working with Westmeath County Council since 2019.

Environmental awareness officer at Westmeath County Council, Aisling Stafford, said: “Westmeath County Council are delighted to provide free mattress amnesty days in Mullingar and Athlone. Every year analysis shows that mattresses are top of the list when it comes to materials being dumped in remote areas in the county.

“The two mattress amnesty days are part of the council strategy to reduce illegal dumping and the elimination of unauthorised waste collectors. It is also vital that we encourage mattress recycling initiatives to reduce the amount of bulky household waste going to landfill or incineration.”

Registered householders can dispose of up to three mattresses each at no charge at the amnesty days. Additional mattresses can be disposed of for a charge of €10 for a single and €18 for a double.

The Mullingar mattress amnesty day is this Saturday, November 11, 9am-3pm at Mullingar Civic Amenity Centre at Mullingar Business Park.

The Athlone one is Saturday 18th at Athlone Civic Amenity Centre, 9am-3pm at the rear of Golden Island Shopping Centre.

Those who miss the Amnesty Day can visit bouncebackrecycling.ie to book their door-to-door collection service, or contact BBR on 091-760877.

Rubbish to resources

BBR manager Martin Ward said: “The materials recovered from our recycling process can be used for a range of other products. These include using soft materials for making carpet underlay, and potentially, home insulation products. The metal springs can be recycled for use in the steel industry.”

Martin said that BBR can help local authorities, householders, furniture retailers, hotels and others to make mattress recycling an achievable option for them. They offer collection services not just for civic amenity sites, but also for furniture stores, hotels and householders.

Landfill space running out

“Ireland is fast running out of landfill space, and bulky items like mattresses take up too much room. A mattress takes around 100 years to decompose, so it makes no sense to send it to landfill. Also, when BBR recycles a mattress, we recover more reusable materials than regular shredding does.

“By 2025, at least 55% of municipal waste has to be recycled to meet EU targets. Within 13 years, the amount of waste going to landfill has to be reduced to 10% of all municipal waste. BBR can help local authorities to achieve these targets.”