Mattress recycling site awarded grant to reduce landfill

Soft Landing has been awarded major funding through the Queensland Government’s Circular Economy Investment Program, to help turn discarded mattresses into valuable new resources.

The project focuses on establishing a dedicated mattress recycling site to provide non-virgin material streams including steel, timber and textiles.

It is one of eight initiatives selected statewide to receive a share in $5 million to help drive Queensland towards a zero-waste future.

With support from the program, Soft Landing will scale up its operations, create new local jobs and keep valuable materials out of landfill.

“We’re excited to be part of a movement that’s rethinking waste,” said David Petrie, General Manager of Soft Landing. “This funding will allow us to innovate, expand and make a real impact — not just environmentally, but economically too. This project will be conducted in collaboration with a South East Queensland council, and we welcome enquiries from other councils in the state to see how we could work together.”

The Acting Deputy Director-General of the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Kahil Lloyd, said the Circular Economy Investment Program aims to reduce Queensland’s 10 million tonnes of annual waste while boosting jobs and innovation.

“Queensland is working towards becoming a less wasteful society with ambitious targets to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible. These projects are great examples of how Queensland businesses can help reduce waste and unlock economic opportunities through circular solutions,” Lloyd said.

The Circular Economy Investment Program is supported through the Queensland Government’s Recycling and Jobs Fund.

Image caption: Soft Landing staff member standing in front of end-of-life mattresses, ready to be recycled by hand to recover valuable materials and reduce waste in landfill. Image supplied by Soft Landing.