Since its launch in June 2021, the city of Loveland’s mattress and box spring recycling initiative has successfully diverted more than 166,000 pounds of waste from local landfills. In October, the program was recognized for that effort by the Colorado chapter of the American Public Works Association, which presented the city with an award for sustainability. “I think this award is proof of how great this program has been and hopefully it will continue to be in the future,” Solid Waste Superintendent Tyler Bandemer said. “The citizens of Loveland just continue to embrace programs like this.”
For $25 each, Loveland residents can drop off their old mattresses or box springs at the recycling center on Wilson Avenue. The pieces are then stored on-site waiting for shipment to Spring Back, a Denver-based recycler that specializes in such pieces. Spring Back removes the metal, textiles, and wood and either sells it for reuse or recycles it further, Bandemer explained. He went on to say that Loveland’s mattress program has been “wildly successful” since its inception. During its first 90 days, the center accepted 197 mattresses and box springs, weighing a total of 11,700 pounds.
By the end of 2021, that total had grown to 513 pieces and 30,359 pounds, and in 2022, that pace has only accelerated. Through Thursday, the recycling center has accepted 2,405 pieces weighing 135,971 pounds. In total, Loveland residents have dropped off 2,918 pieces and nearly 170,000 pounds, which otherwise would have gone to a landfill, or, worse, a field or ditch.