Northwest Arkansas is set to make history next month with the largest mattress recycling event ever held in the state. From November 8-10, residents of Benton and Washington counties are invited to recycle their old mattresses at no cost at Sam’s Furniture locations in Springdale and Siloam Springs.
The event, funded by Sam’s Furniture, WM, Benton County, and NWA Recycles, will take place during regular store hours. Each household is limited to recycling one mattress set. Participants will also receive a coupon valued at up to $1,000 off a new mattress purchased at Sam’s Furniture.
All collected mattresses will be transported by the Benton County Solid Waste District to Victory Mission, a recycling facility located in Springfield, Missouri, where the mattresses will be dismantled for materials like foam, wood, and springs.
“This event is an important step toward finding a sustainable solution for keeping mattresses out of our landfills,” said Teresa Sidwell, Benton County’s environmental director and leader of NWA Recycles’ mattress committee. “Mattresses are bulky and problematic in landfills, often damaging compacting equipment and taking up valuable space. Victory Mission has successfully addressed this issue in its own community, and this event will help us gauge the local interest in mattress recycling as we explore long-term solutions.”
NWA Recycles, a program of the Northwest Arkansas Council, set a goal of recycling at least 600 mattresses in 2023. This effort is crucial as mattresses contribute to landfill challenges. Nationwide, approximately 18.7 million mattresses are discarded each year, with less than 20% being recycled, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Locally, it is estimated that residents of Benton and Washington counties dispose of 30,000 mattresses annually.
Several states, including California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, have implemented mattress recycling programs to address this issue. For example, Rhode Island will raise its mattress recycling fee to $20.50 per mattress in 2025, allowing the state to operate multiple drop-off and recycling centers.
Victory Mission, which has recycled around 12,000 mattresses in Springfield since 2018, charges $22 per mattress or box spring for local recycling. Northwest Arkansas residents, however, will be able to recycle their mattresses at the upcoming event free of charge thanks to the event’s sponsors.
