This Earth Day, April 22, UTEC, a nonprofit that provides life skills and workforce development opportunities for justice-involved young adults, is marking the impact of its Mattress Recycling Program in Marblehead. Since last Earth Day, the program has collected and processed more than 1,700 mattresses and box springs in Marblehead — diverting roughly 107 tons of material from landfills.
The program has grown significantly since Massachusetts’ 2022 ban on disposing of mattresses in the trash — now processing nearly three times the volume it did before the ban across more than 40 cities and towns statewide. Today, it’s the largest mattress recycler in northern Massachusetts, recycling roughly 50,000 mattresses and box springs in the past year while creating job opportunities for young adults.
“This Earth Day, we’re proud to see how far this program has grown, both in the number of mattresses we’re recycling and in the opportunities we’re creating for young adults,” said UTEC CEO Gregg Croteau. “For many, this is a first job, and a first step toward long-term stability and career growth.”
Young adults participating in UTEC’s social enterprise program manually dismantle mattresses, gaining hands-on experience in recycling operations, logistics, and warehouse skills — experience that has helped many secure and sustain employment beyond UTEC.
“I started at the mattress warehouse as a per diem employee and since then, have transitioned into a full-time position,” said Aidan, a young adult employed at UTEC’s mattress recycling facility. “Working at the warehouse has given me the chance to broaden my skill sets, in turn opening more doors for me in the future.
Approximately 85% of each mattress is recycled into reusable components such as steel, foam and wood.
Marblehead residents can schedule a mattress recycling pickup by visiting www.utecinc.org/mattress-recycling.
