Federal Council calls for mattress recycling: a step towards environmental friendliness!

Federal Council calls for mattress recycling: a step towards environmental friendliness!

Mülheim, Deutschland - In Cologne there will soon be new regulations for the disposal of mattresses. As Express , the Federal Council asked the Federal Government to recycle more mattresses on the Initiative of Hesse. Every year, over eight million mattresses end up in the trash, with the majority being burned. This is not only an immense waste of resources, but also harbors health risks from the flame retardant and chemicals contained in mattresses.

The resolution includes the application that Germany should work for the EU Commission for a regulation in accordance with the ecodesign regulation. This regulation is intended to ensure that problematic materials in products are replaced by environmentally friendly alternatives. The manufacturers should also be obliged to increase their responsibility when recycling mattresses.

The recyclable design in focus

The average Kölner may not know that mattresses are disposed of on average after 10 to 14 years from private households, such as mattratzen-recycling.de . Often the mattresses, which are given for bulky waste, do not correspond to the necessary design for an effective circular economy. The current withdrawal takes place largely via mixed bulky waste, which leads to a modest recycling rate. In order to counteract this, systems for separate collection should be developed in the future in order to supply mattresses dry and cleanly to the recycling process.

The goal is clear: old mattresses must be recycled efficiently so that valuable materials such as foam and metal can be recovered. Producers are called up to offer return systems when selling new mattresses. So you could get a more environmentally friendly solution on the way.

environmental awareness and legal possibilities

The need for rethinking is also supported by the NABU, which calls for the introduction of extended manufacturer responsibility systems (EPR). Such systems already exist in countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands, while Germany still has some catching up to do here. nabu emphasizes that the legal requirements for ecodesign are decisive to minimize the entire life cycle of products.

With an increased focus on recycling and the urgently needed switch to sustainable materials, you could not only protect the environment, but also minimize the waste of energy and resources in the long term. It remains exciting to see how quickly and effectively this new regulation will be implemented in Cologne and beyond.