TNRD – Recycling fees for mattresses and boxsprings to rise in 2026

Recycling fees for mattresses and boxsprings will be going up in the New Year at TNRD eco-depots and select transfer stations.

Effective January 1, 2026, disposal fees for mattresses will be $20 for residential units and $35 for commercial units.

The regionl board approved the increases after being notified by the Ministry of Environment and Parks that it is postponing adding mattresses and boxsprings to its recycling regulation, which would force a new program where mattress producers are responsible for managing their products’ end-of-life, shifting costs from taxpayers to companies.

As a result of the postponement, all associated disposal costs for mattresses and boxsprings continue to be covered at the regional district level, with most costs falling on taxpayers.

In 2024, there were 6,700 mattresses recycled at accepting TNRD facilities, and disposal costs totalled more than $289,000. Only three per cent of the costs were recovered through disposal fees charged to customers, with the remaining 97 per cent funded through regional taxation, the TNRD said in a news release.

Landfilling the mattresses instead of recycling them would have taken up an estimated $1.13 million in landfill airspace, the release said. Mattresses recycled in the TNRD are taken to a facility in Hope for disassembly and material recovery.

On average, mattresses cost $43.50 per unit to recycle in the TNRD; updates to disposal fees for consumers are expected to offset about $100,000 in costs for taxpayers in 2026.

“Until mattresses are included in the provincial Recycling Regulation, a portion of mattress disposal costs will continue to fall on taxpayers. The TNRD continues to advocate for a province-wide mattress recycling program to ease the burden on taxpayers and ensure that they are recycled instead of landfilled.”

Mattresses are accepted for recycling at all 11 TNRD Eco-Depots and at five transfer stations (Knutsford, Paul Lake, Savona, Vavenby, and Westwold). To view hours of operation and accepted materials at all TNRD solid waste sites, visit: tnrd.ca/depothours.