Rhode Island enacts nation's second mattress recycling law
- July 17, 2013
- By Kerri Jansen
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chaffee on July 15 signed into law the nation's second statewide program for recycling discarded mattresses.
Similar to legislation passed in May in Connecticut, Rhode Island's new law requires mattress manufacturers and retailers to form a stewardship organization and propose a plan for managing end-of-life mattresses. Rhode Island's plan must be submitted by July 1, 2015.
A bill requiring manufacturers and retailers to participate in an extended producer responsibility program was defeated last year.
"We were pleased to work with state officials to develop legislation that promotes the proper disposal of mattresses while keeping costs low and creating jobs," Christopher Hudgins, vice president of government relations and policy for the International Sleep Products Association, which opposed the earlier bill, said in a statement. "The Rhode Island law follows industry-supported legislation that recently passed in Connecticut and serves as a model for other states interested in tackling this important issue."
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