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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Maddie Thomas

Sleeping on waste: how to recycle a mattress in Australia so that it doesn’t end up in landfill (or on the street)

A composite image for Change By degrees Mattress Recycling
Getting rid of a mattress is not easy, and 40% of those discarded end up in landfill, writes Maddie Thomas Photograph: Monty Rakusen/Getty Images

About 1.8m mattresses are thrown out each year in Australia, often seen dumped on the side of the road. Laid end to end, that would be enough to stretch from Darwin to the tip of Tasmania.

Mattresses last between eight and 10 years, and are usually kept for longer. But getting rid of one is not easy, and 40% of those discarded end up in landfill.

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