Tonnes of materials recycled as Toowoomba Regional Council advances mattress processing trial to full operation

The Toowoomba Regional Council’s trial program to process old mattresses was such a success, it’s now been employed full-time.

The Toowoomba Regional Council has advanced its plan to recycle mattresses.

More than 17 tonnes of steel has been recycled and 235 cubic metres of material saved from landfill, after the Toowoomba Regional Council pushed forward with a mattress processing trial.

After the pilot program was declared a success in January, the council awarded a full tender to Ability Enterprises to recycle mattresses three days a week.

Water and waste portfolio leader Cr Nancy Sommerfield said nearly 1700 mattresses had been processed so far.

“By late January this year it was clear that the results were very positive,” she said.

“The work has been awarded to Ability Enterprises, who also manage the council’s waste facility gatehouses.

“Ability Enterprises started on February 15 this year and will complete three, four-hour sessions per week processing mattresses in the Residual Waste Transfer building.

“To date, 1689 mattresses have been processed. This has resulted in a saving of around 235 cubic metres of landfill space and produced around 17 tonnes of steel that can be recycled.”

Cr Sommerfield said the council was committed to diverting as much recyclable material as possible from landfill.

“By diverting recyclable materials from landfills, we can extend the life of our landfill cells and ensure we are not depositing a range of metals and other substances that otherwise have a more valuable future use,” she said.

“The council typically receives around 3000 mattresses at the GTWMF annually, with around another 2000 received at other regional facilities.”