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From Home Furnishing Business

CRMA Wants to Amend Connecticut Mattress Law

February 17, 2014  by in Industry, Legal, Mattresses, Product   

The law, PA –13-42 AAC a Mattress Stewardship Program, creates a mandated mattress recycling program that is paid for by having manufacturers charge a fee on the sale of each mattress and/or box spring sold to a retailer in the state. The retailer would then have the ability to pass that fee onto consumers at the point of sale.

CRMA is preparing to ask the Connecticut General Assembly to amend the law by having the new Mattress recycling fee be charged just at the point of sale. Under the CRMA proposal, manufacturers would not charge retailers at all, rather, the retailer would simply charge the fee to a customer when a sale is made.

By way of background, the fee that will be charged will be determined by a special mattress council that was established by the law. The council, which will be managed by mattress manufacturers, is currently developing a comprehensive mattress recycling program that would determine not only the fee that will be charge but all aspects of the program, including how all parties in the mattress recycling program will interact. The council expects to have its plan ready, which would include the amount of the fee, for review by the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection in July.

DEEP must approve the plan before it is fully implemented. It is expected the program will go into place January 2015.

CRMA President Tim Phelan is leading the effort on behalf of the retailers in Connecticut who sell mattress. Phelan’s message to legislators is simple: "The way the law is currently drafted the burden of funding the mattress recycling program fall disproportionally on retailers."

Phelan noted that retailers have to pay up front to fund the program by being charged by the manufactures and then hope that the sale of the mattress is made so that they can recoup there costs. He feels it is a cumbersome and costly process for retailers.

CRMA will be reaching out to all retailers who sell mattress in Connecticut to get them involved in CRMA’s attempts to amend the law. His office will be holding meetings with retailers, the first to be held at CRMA’s office on Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. 

CRMA will testify in favor of the bill if the General Assembly agrees to raise it and will call on retailers to participate at the State Capital. Retailers can go here for more information.

Finally, Phelan noted that changes to the collection of the fee is one part of the Association’s legislative proposal. CRMA also seeks to make changes in the definition of what mattress are covered so that when other states are considering this type legislation there is a consistency to that definition. In addition, CRMA is seeking to amend the law so that if and when the Council decides to make changes to the fee, retailers will be given enough time to change their system.