The Manitoba government will support a plan to divert thousands of mattresses from landfills, reduce greenhouse gases and create jobs with $275,000 in support of the province’s first mattress recycling project with Mother Earth Recycling. This announcement was made by Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh.
“As we celebrate Earth Day, it’s a great time to reflect on our continued commitment to the environment, and we take our leadership role very seriously,” Minister Mackintosh said. “Helping kick-start this plan to create a mattress recycling operation in Winnipeg will make a difference to the environment and ensure old mattresses won’t be taking up space in our landfills.”
Mother Earth Recycling is an Indigenous social enterprise focused on providing jobs to people with employment barriers, especially Indigenous people living in the core area. It is an approved Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) collection site with a program that refurbishes donated electronics and a plan to expand into the area of mattress recycling. It is estimated that Winnipeggers throw out 40,000 mattresses every year, each of which is nearly 90 per cent recyclable.
“Old mattresses clog up back lanes and landfills, and they’re hard on the compacting machinery used in their collection,” said Darryl Bruce, general manager, Mother Earth Recycling. “When you buy a new mattress, we want to make it easier to get rid of your old one and this support from the province will protect the environment and help local people learn skills to earn a living and support their families.”
Mother Earth Recycling is working with local companies and other potential funders to start the process of mattress recycling later this year and if a consistent supply can be achieved, there is an opportunity to create dozens of direct and indirect jobs, Minister Mackintosh noted.
For more information on Mother Earth Recycling, visit www.motherearthrecycling.ca.
