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Committee advances Mattress Stewardship Act to fund statewide mattress recycling; one lawmaker objects to fee
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Summary
The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee voted to release A1651, which would require mattress producers to fund a stewardship program to recycle mattresses statewide; supporters said it shifts municipal costs, while one member warned the point-of-sale fee would increase consumer costs.
The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee on Jan. 2026 voted to release Assembly Bill 16 51, the Mattress Stewardship Act, which would require mattress producers to join a stewardship organization and implement a statewide mattress-recycling program funded by a point-of-sale fee.
Supporters told the committee municipalities currently shoulder the cost of mattress disposal. Wayne DeFeo, co-chair of the legislative committee for the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, said municipalities sometimes must pick up dumped mattresses and that ‘‘it comes out of municipal coffers’’ and creates public-nuisance and health problems. Allison King, president of the International Sleep Products Association, described a Mattress Recycling Council model used in other states and said a typical steward program fee in other states ranges roughly ‘‘$18 to $22.50’’ at point of sale; she also said proper disposal outside a stewardship program can cost ‘‘$50 to $75’’.
King said the steward organization would contract with municipalities and retailers, pay for collection and transportation from designated bins or trailers, and run consumer outreach including a ZIP-code collection-site locator (BuyBuyMattress.com). She said DEP oversight and an annual reporting requirement would be part of the program and that the bill contains a limited antitrust exemption to allow producers to set a uniform fee and avoid free-rider problems.
Assemblyman Weber opposed releasing the bill, saying the scope of the problem is unclear and that ‘‘I've never once had a constituent come up to me and say…finding a better way to get rid of my mattress’’; he said mandating a fee would effectively force taxpayers to prepay for mattress removal on top of property taxes. Other panel members—Assemblyman Onyema, Assemblywoman Brennan, Assemblywoman Murphy, Vice Chair Quijano and Chairman Sampson—voted to release the bill to the full Assembly.
The committee recorded local recycling-cost estimates for municipalities of about $16 to $30 per mattress and emphasized that the program’s consumer fee had not yet been fixed for New Jersey. Supporters said that without enabling legislation the Mattress Recycling Council could not operate statewide and noted the model has run for years in states including California, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
A1651 now moves to the full Assembly for further consideration.
