Rhode Island Mattress Recycling Bill Dies

July 12, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Mattresses on July 13, 2011

Thanks to opposition from the International Sleep Products Association and other groups, the Rhode Island Legislature adjourned last week without passing a potentially expensive mattress recycling bill.

The bill would have required mattress manufacturers and retailers operating there to participate in an "extended producer responsibility" (EPR) program. An EPR program makes manufacturers responsible for funding and operating a system for collecting and disposing of consumer products at the end of their useful lives. The Rhode Island legislation would have required the mattress industry to develop such an EPR program specifically for mattresses discarded in that state. 

"This is a significant victory for our industry," said ISPA President Ryan Trainer. "ISPA supports efforts to promote the proper disposal of used mattresses, but the Rhode Island legislation would have set a bad precedent. ISPA believes that used mattress recycling efforts must develop and evolve on their own without the interference of costly and impractical state mandates."

ISPA provided testimony opposing the bill and met with influential legislators and agency staff to educate them on the economic harm that legislation like this would have caused mattress manufacturers and retailers. To help defeat the legislation, ISPA also enlisted the assistance of its members, mattress retailers and other industries that manufacture consumer products targeted by EPR efforts like this in other states.