The annual Maitland Mattress Muster was held on Saturday, November 10 with 464 motor vehicles delivering 1013 mattresses to Maitland City Council’s Works Depot at Metford.

Council’s Waste Services Coordinator Elfi Blackburn said while this year’s event was not a record it was well supported.

“Although cars were queued at times, the majority of visitors were patient, understanding and appreciative of this free event,”  Ms Blackburn said. The mattresses will now be recycled and diverted from landfill.

The Mattress Muster recycling initiative has been a big success in Maitland and as a result of eight musters since October 2014, council has received over 5000 mattresses.

Each household in the Maitland local government area has the opportunity to recycle up to four mattresses as part of the muster. 

Cot mattresses, innerspring mattresses and ensemble bases are accepted, however a mattress with an ensemble base will be counted as two items.

The muster is an opportunity for residents to do their bit for the environment by simply recycling something they might not use anymore, free of charge.

To participate in the initiative, proof of residence in the Maitland local government area is required at the time of drop off.

Tens of thousands of mattresses are dumped across local government areas throughout the Hunter each year.

In the past there has been a certain percentage of those mattresses recovered that have been hygienically cleaned and recovered and put back into circulation for charities to use.