Residents and businesses in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District will see higher mattress disposal fees starting in the new year, following an indefinite delay by the Province of British Columbia to include mattresses and boxsprings in its Recycling Regulation.

The TNRD Board of Directors has approved updated recycling fees effective January 1, 2026. Disposal fees for mattresses will increase to $20 for residential units and $35 for commercial units at Eco-Depots and select Transfer Stations across the region.

The decision comes after the Ministry of Environment and Parks informed the TNRD that it is postponing plans to add mattresses and boxsprings to the provincial Recycling Regulation. If included, the regulation would require mattress producers to manage and fund end-of-life recycling for their products, shifting costs away from taxpayers and onto manufacturers.

Without a provincial take-back program in place, the full cost of mattress and boxspring disposal continues to be borne at the regional level. Most of those costs are currently funded through taxation.

In 2024, approximately 6,700 mattresses were recycled at TNRD facilities, at a total cost of more than $289,000. Only 3 per cent of those costs were recovered through customer disposal fees, while the remaining 97 per cent was covered by taxpayers. On average, it costs the TNRD $43.50 per mattress to recycle.

Despite the expense, the TNRD says recycling mattresses has significant environmental benefits. Landfilling those same mattresses would have consumed an estimated $1.13 million worth of landfill airspace. All mattresses collected by the TNRD are transported to a recycling facility in Hope, B.C., where they are dismantled and materials are recovered.

The updated disposal fees are expected to offset about $100,000 in taxpayer costs in 2026, though a portion of expenses will continue to be covered by regional taxation until a provincial program is implemented.

The TNRD says it will continue advocating for a province-wide mattress recycling program to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers and ensure mattresses are recycled rather than sent to landfills.

Mattresses are accepted for recycling at all 11 TNRD Eco-Depots and at five Transfer Stations located in Knutsford, Paul Lake, Savona, Vavenby, and Westwold. Hours of operation and a full list of accepted materials are available at tnrd.ca/depothours.