Mattress Recycling Proves a Hit for UK Firm

05 August 2011 Telford, Shropshire based JBS Fibre Recovery Ltd is planning to open range of mattress recycling plants across the UK, based on the success and rapid growth of its original facility in Stafford Park, Telford, and its recently opened plant in Milton Keynes. The company says that it has developed alternative technologies to deal with the range of mattresses it recycles, and has processed over 14,000 mattresses at its Telford plant in the three months since it opened, diverting in excess of 600 tonnes from landfill. According to JBS, the difficulty in recycling mattresses arises from the range of components used to make them, often resulting in a significant volume of landfill waste. Most general recycling centres are unable to process each of the separate components, which include metal, fabrics, and foam. The company claims that at its Telford and Milton Keynes facilities every component of a mattress is recycled, reused, or utilised to generate energy from waste, and is planning to open similar ventures across the country. Despite the difficulties that are often involved in recycling mattresses, they are still being produced at a rapid rate - the National Bed Federation estimates that approximately two million mattresses are manufactured every year. JBS says that this presents it with an excellent opportunity for expansion. John Neill, Director of JBS Fibre Recovery Ltd, explained: "The massive growth of the Telford site highlighted the need for a much greater number of dedicated mattress recycling plants across the country, and urged us to bring forward our plans for new regional hubs UK-wide. "The opening of the new centre in Milton Keynes last month is just the start of our plans, in fact we have a further centre opening in Bradford in October, with even more facilities coming online in future months." Sign up for Waste Management World's Free E-Mail Newsletters