RECYCLE - EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT CONVENIENT

This week my mother wanted to get rid of a mattress.  So she put it on the curb to be picked up with the rest of the trash.  When I got home, I asked her if she would let me try to find some other place for it to go besides the landfill.  She put up a fight because she didn't want to haul the mattress back inside, but I was able to convince her.

My first idea was to donate the mattress to a charity.  It's in good condition and nobody has even slept on it for the past few years.  To my surprise, the Salvation Army branch in my town told me that they didn't accept mattresses.  I guess they're worried that the mattress might be dirty.  Next I called several bedding companies to ask if they knew of any mattress recycling locations nearby.  All three places I called treated me as if I was crazy.  I was confused.  Why would a business that sells mattresses not have any suggestions for what to do with an old one?

I found a few other numbers in the phone book and I will try them on Monday.  I hate to think that sending a big mattress to a landfill is the only option, but so far I have had no luck.  It turns out that going green isn't always convenient and getting the right answer may not happen on the first try.  Environmentalism takes work.