NYCHA’s Mattress Recycling Featured in Circular City Week
On May 3, NYCHA’s mattress recycling program, NYC’s first and only mattress recycling program, was discussed during Circular City Week, an open collaborative festival dedicated to topics about circular economy (that is, an economy where goods are reused and recycled as much as possible). Circular City Week is the biggest circular economy festival in the country, and it highlights how circular practices such as reuse, recycling, and upcycling are transforming urban industries and New York City as a whole.
Katy Burgio and Debora Lopes from NYCHA’s Sustainability team, along with Renewable Recycling Inc. and Mattress Recycling Council, discussed how a mattress recycling program works as well as the future of the industry. Since July 2021, NYCHA has recycled more than 5,000 old mattresses and box springs in all five boroughs. The program is part of the Authority’s larger sustainability goal to improve NYCHA’s recycling rate.
