City Clerk's Office

The Streets Division is happy to announce that our mattress and box spring recycling program is back.  Effective immediately, all mattresses and box springs placed at the curb for large item pick up will be recycled. 
 
     “We are pleased to be reinstating the mattress and box spring recycling program,” Madison Strategic Initiatives Coordinator George Dreckmann said.  “The new program will not require residents to pay any fees to get the units recycled.”
 
     The new, no fee recycling program will make things easy to recycle their mattresses and box springs.  All that residents will have to do is place their mattresses and box springs at the curb on their large item day and our crews will get them recycled.  Large items are collected every other week, the same day as regular trash.  Large item day occurs on the week when recycling is NOT collected.
 
     Residents can also bring their mattresses and box springs to the drop off sites at 1501 W. Badger Rd and 4602 Sycamore AV.  The sites are open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  On Tuesday and Thursdays the sites are open until 8 p.m.  The sites will be closed on holidays.
 
     “Every year Madison residents discard between 10,000 and 12,000 mattresses and box springs,” Dreckmann said.  “That is 250 to 300 tons of material that will no longer be going to the landfill.”
 
     The mattresses will be recycled by Bay Area Recycling for Charities (BARC), a not for profit firm located in Traverse City Michigan. BARC is able to recycle the steel springs, wood frames, polyurethane foam and cotton padding.  Only the outer cover is discarded.