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Kawartha Lakes – In the start of 2019, Kawartha Lakes Waste Management launched a pilot mattress recycling program at the Lindsay Ops landfill. To date, this program has successfully diverted over 2000 mattresses from our landfill sites. That’s equal to over 200 tractor trailers worth of space, or roughly 955 tonnes of residential waste.
With the current success of the program, staff brought forward a report to Council recommending that a permanent program be adopted in the 2020 budget. The estimated cost savings in landfill space is approximately $143,000. The creation of a permanent mattress recycling program has a projected annual savings of $273,000 in deferred landfill space, based on an annual estimate of 4000 mattresses recycled through the municipality each year.
The recommendation was approved by Council and the program will be brought forward to be considered in the upcoming 2020 budget deliberations.
“As we work towards updating the Integrated Waste Management Strategy, one of our focuses is to find new and innovative ways to continue to divert waste from our landfill sites,” stated David Kerr, Manager of Environmental Services. “The support from Council to launch the program and the support from residents who are using the program are both positive indications that the continuation of mattress recycling will be highly beneficial to Kawartha Lakes and to our environment.”
Mattresses can be recycled through the program by bringing them to the Lindsay Ops landfill or alternatively, through purchasing a curbside tag for pickup at your local municipal service centre.
Mattresses are still being accepted for disposal at all other landfill sites, however due to the storage space required, Ops landfill is the only location that can currently manage to operate the mattress recycling program. Staff are currently looking at the possibility for future operations of extending the program to our additional sites.
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