Biodegradable Beds vs Conventional Beds in Landfills
Did you know that 50,000 mattresses are thrown out daily in the United States?
If we were to stack all of these mattresses on top of each other, they would be the equivalent of 40 Empire State Buildings…per day.
In just two days, the amount of mattresses thrown away in the U.S. would be taller than Mount Everest.
If we were to lay these discarded mattress out end to end, it would only take four months to be able to wrap them around the entire diameter of our planet.
That makes for a lot of mattresses sitting in our landfills right now.
Recycling Mattresses
Fortunately, there are organizations like the Mattress Recycling Council that strive to educate consumers about the possibility of recycling their old mattresses.
More than 80% of conventional mattresses can be recycled.
In order to recycle a mattresses, they are cut open and the layers are separated. The interior materials are then organized by type:
- Foam padding is turned into carpet underlayment or animal bed padding.
- Cotton is used in industrial oil filters and other textile applications.
- Steel springs are used to make new appliances and building materials.
- Wood is recycled and used as a fuel source.
However, this program currently only exists in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Sadly, most mattresses end up in landfills.
Biodegradable Wool
Miraculously, wool is completely natural and biodegradable. That means your wool mattress need not contribute to our growing landfills.
Wool is a natural, renewable fiber that offers a sustainable choice for your mattress. The only conditions required for wool to biodegrade are oxygen, warm temperatures and humidity.
Wool is an obvious choice for anyone concerned about the health of our planet.
What’s more, wool mattresses also benefit our bodies as well. Learn more about the many benefits of wool.
