Mattress Recycling Summit 2017
King County hosted the 3rd LinkUp Mattress Recycling Summit on May 24, 2017 in Kent, WA. Participants discussed the mattress stewardship programs in Connecticut, California, and Rhode Island, the experiences and challenges with transfer stations and mattress recycling in Oregon and Washington, and the concept of product stewardship. In July, King County intends to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for 2018 transfer station mattress recycling service at five of the County's eight transfer stations. King County views transfer station mattress recycling as an interim step towards a state-wide mattress stewardship system; a coalition of supportive mattress retailers, recyclers, haulers, nonprofits, and local governments would be necessary for a statewide product stewardship bill to succeed in the legislature. Summit participants expressed interest in mattress stewardship and coalition building.