On those dates, Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises (GBCE), in cooperation with the Sustainable Fairfield Task Force (SFTF), will offer Fairfield residents home pick-up and recycling of their old mattresses or box springs, for $20 per item.
Initially, the pick-up and recycling service will be offered only on those two dates in June, but may be extended to additional months depending on demand. Appointments for mattress pick-up on either June 26 or June 29 should be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. To make an appointment, please contact Adrienne Farrar Houël at GBCE, (203) 212-3860 or (203) 209-6915, houel@greenteambpt.com.
Disposing of mattresses and box springs can be challenging for municipalities as well as individuals. They cannot readily be placed in landfills and also cannot be easily compressed and crushed for incineration, notes the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.
However, recycling is increasing as an alternative to landfilling or incineration. Mattresses and box springs are not reused, but are rather disassembled and the component materials, such as foam, cotton, wood, and steel springs, are recovered and sold for use in manufacturing other, non-mattress products. By reducing the amount of waste Fairfield sends to incineration facilities, recycling mattresses also saves the Town money on disposal fees.
GBCE created a unique, mattress deconstruction and materials recycling enterprise – Park City Green – as part of its mission to help families in the Bridgeport region achieve greater economic self-sufficiency via jobs in “green businesses” and training in the growing green economy. For more information on GBCE’s work, please visit https://greenteambpt.com. The SFTF provides support for Town practices and projects that can help Fairfield manage its growth to safeguard the health of its environment, ensure the reliability and economical use of its natural resources, and preserve the quality of life of its residents – today and for the future. For more information, please visit https://www.fairfieldct.org/sftf. For more information, please contact SFTF member Becky Bunnell at (203) 550-6540.