TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute a contract with Mattress Recycling Council to facilitate the collection of discarded mattresses and box springs in the City of Long Beach for recycling, for a period of two years with automatic renewals thereafter unless terminated by the parties, at no additional cost to the City. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to execute a contract with Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) for the collection of discarded mattresses and box springs.
In 2013, State law SB 254, the Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling Act, was passed. This statewide legislation directed the development of a recycling program for discarded mattresses. The law includes a provision requiring consumers to pay a fee when purchasing a mattress, and that mattress retailers must pick up a customer’s old mattress when delivering a new one. It also established the MRC, a non-profit organization that manages programs that improve proper mattress disposal and promote mattress recycling. In 2016, the MRC implemented a system for recycling mattresses using funds from SB 254 mattress purchase fees. This program is voluntary for municipalities.
Long Beach residents discard an estimated 24,000 mattresses and box springs annually. Nearly 30 percent of those are dumped illegally in alleys or other public right-of-ways. Unwanted mattresses and box springs pose challenges along every step of the waste stream, such as:
· Difficult for residents to load and transport for disposal or recycling via private vehicle;
· Unsightly when left out in a public right-of-way or dumped illegally;
· Harborages of pests when left outdoors;
· Tough to load into refuse vehicles, or must be picked up by flatbed truck;
· Problematic in landfills as they impede machinery and do not break down; and,
· Challenging for waste-to-energy facilities due to difficulty loading into intake chutes creating a potential for blockage.
The contract w...
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