No sleeping soundly until this mattress problem is solved
A plan to solve the mounting environmental problem caused by people testing and returning mattresses is underway
More than 1,500 mattresses are returned every day under retailer’s comfort guarantees because they are too hard, too soft, or just not quite right.
But many consumers are unaware of the damage these return policies cause and how they are unwittingly contributing to the climate crisis.
Some 600,000 unwanted mattresses are sent to landfill each year in what is dubbed “The Goldilocks Effect”.
It adds up to 1,572,000sqm of bulky waste, the equivalent to half the size of the City of London.
Many firms offer comfort guarantees between 40 and 200 nights, but experts say it can take at least 30 to 90 days to feel the difference.
Many of us spend eight to 12 years sleeping on the same mattress and readjusting can take time.
Despite the returns policy, many mattresses are rendered useless to retailers who either stump up to have them recycled or auction them off for limited revenue with zero traceability.
Worryingly, many are sent straight to toxic landfill sites where they are left to rot and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
To stop perfectly good mattresses from being dumped, The Furniture Recycling Group in Blackburn, Lancashire, says it has a solution.
Founder Nick Oettinger was on a landfill site at Harewood Whin near York when he saw a truck get stuck.
“A mattress spring was wrapped round the drive shaft, so I was in there with cutters taking the springs off,” he said.
It made him think about recycling mattresses to divert difficult waste away from landfill.
The group has now recycled three million of them since its formation in 2012. It sorts each one into 19 different parts including steel, cotton, polyester and foam.
Some fabrics end up in car manufacturing while others go into making stab-proof vests.
As well as recycling, it also rejuvenates about 800 mattresses a week discarded after 100-day trial periods.
Its mission is to divert 100% of UK mattresses from being dumped.
With Britain running out of landfill space, more projects like this are welcome to ensure perfectly usable items are simply not left to rot.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS IN BRIEF
Heat is on as record highs threaten our world
Global temperatures soared to a new record in September by a huge margin, stunning scientists and leading one to describe it as “absolutely gobsmackingly bananas”.
The hottest September on record follows the hottest August and hottest July, with the latter being the hottest month ever recorded.
The high temperatures have driven heatwaves and wildfires across the world.
September 2023 beat the previous record for that month by 0.5C, the largest jump in temperature ever seen.
The month was about 1.8C warmer than pre-industrial levels.
Sets of data from European and Japanese scientists confirm the leap.
Expect a berry decent Autumn full of colour and beauty
This is likely to be the richest autumn that Britain has seen for rare birds in years, experts say.
Already there have been unprecedented wonders such as the Canada warbler, which has never been seen here before, and the magnolia warbler, only seen twice.
At least 15 species of North American passerines have also been seen in recent days, and it is all down to high numbers of the creepy crawlies they feed on.
As well as birds, experts have predicted a dazzling display after this year’s wet summer helps relieve the stress trees have been under due to last year’s drought
Hedgerows are also bursting with autumn fruits thanks to no late frosts to impact blossom in the spring and rain at a vital time to ensure fruits could swell
An abundance of berries are a great source of food for domestic and migrating birds to help build up reserves for winter.
Andy Jasper, Head of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust, said: "This year’s wet summer weather has helped buck the trend of recent dry summers, so our plants and trees finally had a chance to hydrate and are now gearing up for a dazzling show of reds, ambers, yellows and browns this autumn.
“While most of September has felt like summer’s last hurrah, we’re likely to see a fantastic show of colour spill across the country as soon as temperatures start to drop, making it the perfect time to go out and take in the wealth of autumnal beauty the UK has to offer.
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One to watch
Chasing Coral (Netflix)
A worrying but important film which documents the slow death of some of the world’s most important coral reefs.
One to book
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition opens on Friday at the Natural History Museum in London’s South Kensington and runs until June 2024.
Something to be hopeful about
Earlier this year I reported from Vietnam on the horrific and barbaric trade in killing stolen cats for the dinner trade.
Now the traditional medicine community has recently denounced the use of dog and cat meat for medicinal purposes, marking a turning point for animal welfare in the country.
The meeting of the Professional Department of Vietnam Oriental Traditional Medicine Association (VOTMA) was called following publication of my three-part investigation.
Practitioners unanimously agreed that dogs and cats should not be used for the purposes of medicine and that a legal framework must be put in place to protect them.
Dog and cat meat, bones and other body parts have been claimed by traditional medicine practitioners to cure everything from asthma to musculoskeletal disorders for generations.
But these claims have proved to be unfounded and to be based upon unscientific assumptions and superstitions.
“Dog and cat meat is not a cure for bone and joint-related diseases, and there is no scientific evidence on the functionality of dog meat to enhance male sexual performance or cat bone marrow for better bone and muscle systems,” said chairman of the Vietnam Intensive Traditional Medicine Club, Ngo Van Duong.
“I never prescribe or recommend my patients to eat dog and cat meat as health supplements.
“In today’s modern world, there are a wide range of safe, nature-based and effective traditional medicine ingredients and rich food alternatives accessible to everyone,” he added.
Thank you
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