Massachusetts town applies for recycling grant

The town of Lancaster, Massachusetts, has applied for a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection grant to fund a mattress recycling center, a report by the Sentinel and Enterprise says. Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco says the goal of the center is to stop mattress dumping within the town before it begins.

The nearby town of Clinton recently spent $50,000 to clean up a makeshift dump site where residents were tossing hard-to-dispose household items like appliances and mattresses. Selectman Mark Grasso said in the report that, while Lancaster has not yet seen a similar dumpsite, implementing a recycling center may stop it from ever happening.

Grasso said the center may be in one of four town Department of Public Works buildings.

If approved, the grant will fund equipment and facilities necessary to process the mattresses, the report says, but it is not yet clear if the processing would happen in Lancaster or if mattresses will be shipped to another location.

According to the report, Pacheco expects to receive a response from the state within a few weeks. He says he wants the recycling center to serve as a regional center where Lancaster residents, as well as community members outside of the town, can recycle used mattresses.

The report says 600,000 mattresses are landfilled in Massachusetts every year. Box spring mattresses are composed of 48 percent steel wire and are often made of wood, particle board and cloth.