MIDDLEBURY — With less than 20 years of capacity left in the Vermont’s only operating landfill in Coventry, Addison County Solid Waste Management District (ACSWMD) officials — and their counterparts statewide — are looking to divert as much waste as possible through recycling.

To that end, the ACSWMD on Aug. 1 will launch a new mattress and boxspring recycling program at its Route 7 South transfer station. The district is contracting with Casella Waste Management to break down the mattresses and boxsprings at its facility in Willimantic, Conn., according to Public Outreach Coordinator Emily Johnston. She noted up to 80% of mattress and boxspring material can be recycled, including wood, metal, foam, shoddy and textiles.

“We started tracking mattresses on May 13. Since then, the district has received an average of 17 mattresses per day. We have heard from industry experts that spring and summer are the ‘high season’ for mattresses, so if we extrapolate this to a year, we can assume we would get 3,000 or more mattresses in a year. We are here to help any large generator of mattresses recycle them,” Johnston told the Independent.

Note that while some of the solid waste district’s recycling amenities are free, the fee for disposing of your mattress and boxspring is about to go up. It’s predicated on the cost of hauling and recycling the material, Johnston said.

Prior to Aug. 1, unloading a mattress and box spring at the transfer station cost $10-$20, according to Johnston.

“While this was inexpensive, we were aware that mattresses are a problem material at the landfill due to their tangling in equipment, taking up large amounts of space and causing other operational issues,” she said.

Here are the new charges, effective Aug. 1:

• $15 to recycle a crib mattress.

• $40 each to recycle all other size mattresses or boxsprings.

• $156 per ton — plus a $45 fee —  to landfill all sizes of mattresses or boxsprings.

• Drop-off of mattresses in quantities greater than 10: by appointment only, at $40 each.

“In evaluating our rates for recycling, we wanted to create an incentive to recycle by having a cheaper rate for recycling than for landfilling. We also wanted to have similar rates to the other solid waste management entities,” Johnson said.

She stressed mattresses aren’t eligible for recycling if they’re wet, “excessively damaged,” moldy, contain insects like bed bugs, or have had hazardous substances spilled on them.

Any sofa bed mattress or pull-out couch mattress must be removed before being eligible for recycling.

Unacceptable items for mattress recycling include sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, car beds, strollers, playpens, infant carriers, waterbeds, air mattresses and futons.

Anyone with questions on the new mattresses/boxspring recycling program can call 802-388-2333, or email [email protected].

John Flowers is at [email protected].