GLOUCESTER — Mayor Greg Verga is pleased to share that the City of Gloucester has contracted with a local non-profit organization, UTEC, to take over mattress disposal and recycling services in the city.
As of Nov. 1, 2022, mattresses are banned from being disposed of via regular trash pickup. Massachusetts residents throw out approximately 600,000 mattresses per year, filling landfills with material that can easily be recycled instead. Over 75 percent of mattress and box spring components can be easily disassembled and recycled.
As a result, the City of Gloucester has partnered with UTEC Mattress Recycling to offer curbside pickup of mattresses anywhere in the city, with UTEC workers disassembling and recycling mattress components.
Founded in Lowell in 1999, UTEC’s mission is to ignite and nurture the ambition of disconnected youth to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. Many of the young adults in UTEC programming assist with mattress pickups and deconstruct the mattresses while learning valuable workplace skills.
Starting on Friday, Nov. 3, Gloucester residents will be able to schedule mattress and box spring collection directly through UTEC by visiting their website at: https://utecinc.org/mattress-recycling/.
UTEC will pickup mattresses at scheduled locations twice a month at a cost of $40 per item — mattresses and box springs are separate items. Payment is made directly to UTEC online.
On the day of pickup, the mattress should be placed on the curb by 7 a.m. Pickup drivers will not enter private property in an effort to collect mattresses or box springs left on porches, behind locked gates or other instances.
To register for a pickup, visit UTEC’s website, scroll down the page, select “schedule service” and select “Gloucester.” The available dates residents can choose from will be highlighted.
For the month of November, there will be two collections, back to back, Nov. 10 and Nov. 17. The next collection will be on Dec. 8. Afterward, pickup will be on an every-other-week schedule.
Residents with questions, or those who need assistance scheduling a pickup, should call UTEC directly at 978-856-3997.
Residents are also encouraged to check with retailers while buying new mattresses to see if the retailer will dispose of your old mattress for free. Mattresses can also be donated to organizations via Beyond the Bin, which maintains a list of organizations that accept mattresses and box springs.
Residents can also attempt to give away mattresses using local gifting groups such as Buy Nothing or Freecycle.
About UTEC Mattress Recycling:
UTEC Mattress Recycling begins the journey of providing access to socio-economic success by providing employment opportunities for youth with proven risk factors, such as gang or criminal involvement. UTEC Mattress Recycling enables youth to gain on-the-job experience and learn valuable work place skills while learning the values of reuse, re-purposing and recycling.
To learn more, visit: https://utec-mattress.org/.
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