Mattress Industry Retract Support From Recycling Bills

The International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) has recently been informed that the New York Legislature has made amendments to their mattress recycling bills in both the Assembly and Senate (A.6436-B (Paulin)/S.6419-E (Kavanaugh)). Regrettably, the latest amendment has removed a crucial provision from the Assembly bill. This provision mandated retailers to collect a nominal recycling fee from consumers at the point of sale. This fee would provide sustainable funding for a comprehensive recycling program and is essential for the efficient management of the program. Due to the amendment's significance, ISPA has reversed its stance on the legislation, shifting from support to opposition.

“Although the mattress industry has a proven record of recycling millions of mattresses annually and is prepared to do similar work in New York, we regrettably must oppose the legislation as it has recently been amended,” said Ryan Trainer, president of ISPA. “ISPA continues to encourage the New York legislature to adopt a much simpler system that fairly and transparently distributes the cost across all mattresses sold in the state through a nominal fee collected at the time of purchase. This approach has worked well in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island and is good for the consumer, the worker, the industry, and the environment. We urge the Legislature to reconsider these amendments.”

The mattress industry wholeheartedly endorses legislation that would grant authorization for statewide mattress recycling programs. In 2014, the industry established the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC), a non-profit organization, with the explicit purpose of implementing these laws. Since its establishment, MRC has recycled more than 13 million discarded mattresses and box-springs in the three states where it currently operates. Presently, MRC processes nearly 2 million units each year. ISPA asserts that legislation lacking a traceable and transparent funding mechanism has detrimental effects on consumers in New York, as well as on mattress producers in the United States and their employees in New York.

The consumer fee offers a fair and transparent method for financing mattress recycling. It is straightforward to manage, and retailers find it easy to apply and remit. Additionally, it ensures transparency for consumers. This mechanism ensures that no manufacturers can evade the charge. The consumer is safeguarded against unwarranted price hikes on their new mattress through a specific requirement that mandates the collection of a fair and financially sound charge on all mattresses sold to residents of New York. The cost of the mattress cannot include any undisclosed fees. In contrast, the revised bill lacks a clearly defined funding mechanism.

This approach lacks a definitive and transparent method for funding the expenses associated with implementing the comprehensive mattress recycling program described in the legislation. ISPA firmly holds the belief that consumers should possess knowledge regarding the expenses associated with the recycling program. Currently, a significant proportion of mattresses being sold in New York are produced in foreign nations and distributed to consumers through online platforms.

Tracking and accounting for sales by non-US-based manufacturers becomes significantly more challenging without a retail point of sale collection fee. The objective of Extended Producer Responsibility programs is to ensure that all producers bear equal responsibility for funding recycling efforts. If American companies are required to bear a greater burden of the recycling expenses, they would face a disadvantage in terms of competition. This would adversely impact the employees working in the plants of those US companies. ISPA opposes the mattress recycling legislation due to these reasons.

Source: Furniture World