site.btaMattress Recycling Already a Fact in Bulgaria

An Open Day was held on Wednesday on the site where used mattresses are prepared for reuse and recycling in the village of Petarch near Sofia. The site was set up by Bulgarian company Biocom under Rematrak, a demo project financed by the EU-funded Operational Programme Environment 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the EU's Cohesion Fund, the project team said.

Biocom manager Gena Sabeva talked about the process of collecting used mattresses and preparing them for reuse or recycling. Their components and the products that can be made from them as part of the circular economy were demonstrated to the visitors.

The following three steps should be taken to ensure the best outcome: 

● Changing consumer behaviour;

● Getting municipalities committed to the separate collection and proper disposal of mattresses;

● Getting mattress retailers and accommodation facilities involved in the process as being the closest to end-of-life mattresses.

The company has identified best European practices after research and visits to several sites. The mattresses dropped off for reuse or recycling should not be wet and heavily contaminated with chemicals. They should be stored and transported in such a way that they reach the recycling site dry.

Interviewed by BTA last October, Sabeva said that about 150,000 mattresses end up for waste collection in Bulgaria every year, which is 15% of the mattresses made. Proper hygiene requires that mattresses be replaced after seven to ten years of use. Some people replace their mattress every five years, while others demand a 40-year guarantee, she also said.