Williamson County expands mattress recycling program to preserve local landfill
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Mattresses and box springs will no longer be accepted for free at Williamson County Solid Waste facilities.
“Mattresses are a problem,” said Mac Nolen, Williamson County’s director of Solid Waste Management. “They’re hard to compact, they’re hard to do anything with.”
It’s part of an ongoing effort to extend the lifespan of the area landfill. Williamson County is doing so through a partnership with Spring Back Recycling, a nonprofit that picks up and hauls off unwanted mattresses and sustainably pulls them apart. They’ll salvage parts like steel, foam and wood to be reused in other capacities. The county started with one recycling drop-off center in September 2023 and has since expanded to three.
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Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling Courtesy: Spring Back Mattress Recycling
“There’s a lot of reusable material in a single mattress, so we’re trying to process that material to be cycled back into a retail environment as opposed to just being tossed in a big hole in the ground,” said Ryan Tiano, chief operations officer for Spring Back Recycling.
Spring Back Recycling’s mission is “Breaking down mattresses and building up lives.” The organization provides paid job opportunities to those struggling with challenges such as homelessness and addiction.
“We’re doing something great for the environment, but more importantly, with every mattress and box spring that we can recycle, we’re having an impact on a person’s life,” Tiano said.
The new cost to recycle mattresses and box springs in Williamson County is $20 per item.
“Spring Back Mattress Recycling is able to take that money, and pay a living wage to the guys that we’re trying to help,” Tiano said. “We really focus on teaching vocational skills, life skills, and providing the support and love that people need in general, people that are willing to do the work to move forward in life so they can eventually grow and become an asset to our community as opposed to a liability.”
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Nolen described it as a win-win partnership.
“Since we came on board with them, they wound up being able to hire more people to handle the more mattresses that we’re sending them and then that keeps the mattresses out of the waste stream,” Nolen said.
Throughout the past decade, Spring Back Recycling has recycled over 245,000 mattresses from Davidson County alone, keeping more than 14.5 million pounds of waste out of landfills.
Tiano said after seeing the positive influence being made in Davidson and Williamson counties, he’s hopeful others in the Volunteer State will follow suit.
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“The more mattresses we recycle, the more people we can help, and the more people that we can help, the better our community is as a whole,” Tiano said. “We’re attacking two huge problems that we have in Middle Tennessee simultaneously. The more counties that get on board, the greater the impact we can have.”
Mattresses and box springs for Williamson County residents can be dropped off and paid for at:
Nolensville Convenience Center
1525 Owen Road, Brentwood, TN 37027
Grassland Convenience Center
1495 Sneed Road, Franklin, TN 37069
Landfill Convenience Center
5750 Pinewood Road, Franklin, TN 37064
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Mattress Drop-off Instructions:
Arrive at the center attendant’s office and pay via credit card or debit card.
The center attendant will direct you to Spring Back Recycling’s 53-ft trailer. Residents are responsible for loading their mattresses and box springs correctly into the trailer. Mattresses and box springs should be walked to the back of the trailer and stacked neatly.
A Spring Back team member picks up the trailer weekly to empty and process the mattresses at their facility.
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Pricing and Payment Options:
Williamson County residents pay $20 per mattress & $20 per box spring.
Credit or Debit Cards only (NO Cash)
For more information, visit Williamson County Solid Waste Management’s website.
To learn more about Spring Back Recycling, click here.
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