Every month, the ASK Wellness Mattress Recycling Program diverts approximately 800 mattresses from regional landfills across the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD). The program aims to extend the lifeline of our local city landfills while contributing to a circular local economy and, most importantly, meaningful job opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment.
We start by de-constructing the mattresses and box springs and sorting materials into different areas of our production line for processing. Through this process, we divert 85% of the waste of each mattress from city landfills, with the goal of one day diverting 100% of the mattress waste for a truly completed circular economy. Foam is pulled from the frame of the mattress and compacted into bales for recycling, spring coils are meticulously removed and placed with metal recycling, and wood frames are refurbished into pallets for a local manufacturing company that ships their products worldwide.
This final step is where we are seeking community aid. The time required for pallet conversion does not allow us to currently keep up with the accumulation of wood being removed from the mattresses. We are reaching out to the Kamloops community with the hope of finding a company, or multiple companies, who could utilize this wood within their own production process. Should you be interested in finding out more, please contact Renata Mrema at 1-236-313-1409.
