Correctional Facility Now Recycling Mattresses

The Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF) has long been involved in recycling efforts, mostly focusing on aluminum and other metals, paper, wood pallets and cardboard. In recent years the multi-custody prison located in Hutchinson, Kan., has added a number of projects which have garnered recognition and awards for the facility, such as reusing denim from worn out inmate clothing to making quilts for the Salvation Army and other relief agencies, and using inmate labor to sort through trash in order to reroute recyclable materials destined for the local landfill to appropriate recycling centers.
Recently HCF has added the recycling of mattresses to its repertoire. The facility has been working with area landfills to obtain mattresses dropped off at their locations so they will not take up an average 23 cu ft of space in the pits, but rather will be transported to the minimum security unit of the prison where they are disassembled by inmates, usually in less than five minutes per mattress.

The landfills contact the facility when a truckload of the mattresses have been set aside at which time a staff member and minimum custody inmates are dispatched to load and transport them to the facility. Inmates cut open the mattresses and recover the metal, wood and foam padding inside, and sort the materials into separate bins for eventual shipment to recyclers.

While the facility has already established partnerships with some of the surrounding county’s landfills, the goal is to expand the number to include all landfills within a reasonable driving distance, to include the facility’s home county, Reno. The potential is quite large, as there are a number of inmates available to perform the work necessary to keep a significant number of mattresses out of the landfills of Central Kansas.

For more information on this program contact the Hutchinson Correctional Facility at 620-662-2321 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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