(THE WESTFIELD NEWS PHOTO)
WESTFIELD –The city was awarded a $61,804 grant for mattress recycling from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection this week.
When the City Council Feb. 6 approved the grant, Finance Committee Chair Ralph J. Figy credited Health Department Head Clerk Cheryl McMordie for obtaining the grant for the city “on her own time.”
McMordie said there is a great need to recycle mattresses.
“Right now, we are paying a vendor $15 per mattress, plus the weight and hauling fee,” McMordie said. She said currently, mattresses go into the waste stream, and add to the tonnage costs.
Through the grant, the DEP will pay the city for the purchase of a trailer to drop off the mattresses, and for two years, Westfield won’t pay tonnage or hauling for them.
McMordie said the city doesn’t actually receive the $61,000, which includes the estimated savings of $56,000 over two years for mattress disposal, plus $7,500 for the trailer.
“This way, we keep it out of our trash and save the city a considerable amount of money,” McMordie said. She also said the rumor is that at some point, mattresses will become a waste ban item that must be recycled.
Asked about doing it on her own time, McMordie said she couldn’t seek the grant at work due to her clerical duties.
“I’m really excited,” McMordie said about being awarded the grant. Next step, after City Council approval, is to purchase the trailer for the mattresses.
