The National Bed Federation, the trade association representing UK and Irish bed manufacturers and their component suppliers, published its second report on the state of mattress recycling/re-use in the UK (2016 End of Life Mattress Report). The "stresses and strains on mattress recycling" identified include:
- costs of collection and dismantling still comparing unfavourably to landfill costs
- companies struggling to address health and safety and other compliance issues
- finding markets for recovered materials
An August 2016 article from letsrecycle.com covered the report, noting the closure of several UK recyclers, which is blamed on "a drop in steel prices – reducing market opportunities for springs which make up around 50% of mattress components – coupled with an increase in the cost of insurance for mattress recycling due to risks such as fire."
The report's authors recommended that the UK bed federation:
- monitor and learn from mattress recycling "extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes in France and some US states"
- consider a mattress landfilling ban and its effect on recycling and energy recovery
- set a landfill diversion target, so that policy makers and industry "reduce the continuing high level of landfill disposal"