Recent data indicates only 15% of mattresses entering the UK waste stream are diverted from landfill into either re-use, recycling or energy from waste. As landfill disposal is phased out through changes to environmental legislation and the taxation framework, improvements in this low rate of reuse/recycling/recovery of mattresses will be required.
Mattress recycling is labour intensive, due to variable design and the heterogeneous nature of post-consumer feedstock. The high costs of reprocessing, within the context of low product and material revenues, limit recycling opportunities. This project seeks to identify ways of increasing the reuse/recycling/recovery of mattresses through experimental engineering approaches.