Houston Furniture Bank Achieves Milestone 100,000 Mattresses Recycled in Greater Houston Region
On Friday, July 31, 2020 the Houston Furniture Bank celebrated its achievement of 100,000 mattresses recycled in the Greater Houston region through its signature Mattress Recycling Center. The leadership of the Houston Furniture Bank will be joined by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, and others to commemorate the occasion. The Cascade Alliance’s Terry McDonald, who was instrumental in the program’s foundation and who operates the first and largest mattress-recycling facility in the country, will speak about mattress recycling in a national context.
On average, approximately 750,000 mattresses are discarded in Houston alone, creating over 17 million cubic feet of landfill in our community.
“With the help of our partners, board leadership, and the community, what began as a small effort to do our part for the environment, has grown into a scalable operation that not only avoids further accumulation in our landfills, but also creates jobs,” said Oli Mohammed, Executive Director of Houston Furniture Bank. “Our goal is to continue growing, and to recycle as many mattresses as we are able to as our operations expand.”
The Houston Furniture Bank Mattress Recycling Center story began in 2013, when it was selected by St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County in Eugene, Oregon to become one of only three entities in the nation to be trained in a leading-edge mattress-recycling effort funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Now, Houston Furniture Banks is one of the few places in the country where mattresses can be recycled. Used mattresses and their components are sorted, baled, and resold.
In 2013, Houston Furniture Bank also entered a partnership with the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department for a pilot program to collect mattresses for recycling at neighborhood depository and recycling centers. This collaboration continues today, with 100 percent of mattresses dropped off at the city’s designated recycling centers being delivered to the Houston Furniture Bank Mattress Recycling Center for processing and recycling. This effort keeps 23 cubic feet of materials from the landfill for every mattress recycled.
The Houston Furniture Bank has now recycled 100,000 mattresses since 2012. Its Mattress Recycling Center recovers over 25,000 pounds of foam for recycling each month, and employs 40 individuals. It also recycles steel and plastic from mattresses. On average, 80 percent of mattress materials are recyclable.
Anyone can drop off a mattress or mattresses at Houston Furniture Bank for recycling. There is a $10 fee per item if dropped off or a $25 fee per item if picked up.
The virtual 100,00 mattresses recycled celebration on July 31, 2020 will be broadcast on the Houston Furniture Bank’s Facebook page at –https://www.facebook.com/houstonfurniturebank.
About Houston Furniture Bank:
The Houston Furniture Bank’s mission is to furnish hope by Making Empty Houses Homes. With the support of industry partners and the Houston community, we work with over 45 social service partner agencies to provide essential furniture to families in need
Houston Furniture Bank serves families affected by poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, mental and physical health concerns, and disasters. We served over 2,000 families in 2019. Following Hurricane Harvey, Houston Furniture Bank has provided furniture assistance to over 3,500 families affected by the storm. Also in 2019, Houston Furniture Bank launched its “No Kids on the Floor” initiative, working to ensure that no child goes without the rest that is essential to growth and learning by providing bedding to children in need. Houston Furniture Bank is a second chance organization, providing meaningful and gainful employment to over 40 families.