A one-day recycling drop-off event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24 so residents can dispose of used mattresses and box springs properly instead of in local creeks, alleyways or on dead-end roads.
See related: Reader won't take repeated illegal mattress dumping lying down
This year's City of North Bay event runs Saturday, Aug. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Bay Public Works Yard at 1399 Franklin Street.
Mattresses or box springs of any size can be dropped off. A fee of $25 per piece will apply with credit and debit only accepted. This offer is only available to residential users. The $25 fee is collected to offset the program's cost, including shipping and processing.
According to the City of North Bay, "The event is aimed at assisting residents to recycle used mattresses and box springs, which can be inconvenient and challenging to transport to the landfill."
See also: City renews mattress recycling program despite stain of illegal dumping
The creation of the mattress recycling program was prompted by a presentation to North Bay City Council in 2016 by a FIRST Lego robotics team which found that an estimated 100 mattresses — which are 100 per cent recyclable — were going to the landfill each month.
The Merrick Landfill ships out truckloads of mattresses and box springs for processing each year as part of North Bay’s Mattress Recycling Program. The City says the program has diverted approximately 30,000 mattresses/box springs from the municipal landfill site since its inception.