Chuck Your Mattress for Next to Nothing

Written by Laura Dudnick:

RethinkWaste has lowered the mattress disposal rate for San Mateo County residents to bring their mattresses and box springs to its Transfer Station at the Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos.

The rate has been reduced from $19 to $14 each for any size mattress or box spring, in an effort to assist local communities who have been challenged with an increase in illegal dumping issues, which includes mattresses.

The hope is that the lower price may make it more economical for residents to bring their old mattresses to Shoreway instead of dumping them on the street or other public area, RethinkWaste officials said.

“We hope lowering the rate will help bring more mattresses to our facility and thus reduce volumes illegally dumped,” Kevin McCarthy, Executive Director of RethinkWaste said in a statement.

In addition to mattresses, the public can bring other items for proper disposal and recycling at the Transfer Station, including garbage, clean construction and demolition debris, clean yard waste and wood, appliances, and furniture.

Rates vary based on the item that is brought to the facility.

Shoreway also houses a Public Recycling Center for the free drop off various items for recycling and reuse, and also includes a Buy-Back area for California Redemption Value bottles and cans. 

The center is open to the general public, including businesses, for buy-back items and drop off items, but some limitations apply to universal waste items such as batteries and fluorescent tubes. 

The following is the list of items that are accepted for free at the Public Recycling Center:
• Cardboard* 
• Used motor antifreeze (up to 10 gallons)
• Mixed paper • Latex paint (up to 10 gallons)
• Glass
• Electronics (computers, TVs, cell phones, etc.)
• Cans
• Household and car batteries
• Plastic containers #1-7
• Sharps (must be in authorized sharps container)
• Used motor oil filters
• Cooking oil (residential only up to 15 gallons)
• Used motor oil (up to 15 gallons)
• Clothing
• Hard and soft cover books
• Working household goods
• Scrap metal
• Fluorescent light tubes (household only, 6 tubes per visit, must be less than 6ft)
• Plastic bags

*There is also a purchase program for clean cardboard from customers with large volumes. 

A minimum of 300 pounds of clean cardboard is required for payment.The Transfer Station is open Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Public Recycling Center is open Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Both the Transfer Station and Public Recycling Center can be accessed through Gate 1 at Shoreway, located at 333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos.

Visit www.RethinkWaste.org or www.SBrecycling.net for more information on the Shoreway Environmental Center.