In a bid to combat the ever-growing waste problem, Dakota County has teamed up with Certified Recycling to offer a mattress pickup service at discounted rates. Starting Memorial Day through Labor Day, county residents can have any type of mattress or box spring whisked away from their curbside. This service doesn't require that items be part of a set, according to the Dakota County.

The deal isn't too shabby for those looking to clear out space: $60 for the first mattress or box spring, and $30 for each additional item, the pickup fee which normally applies, is currently waived. Residents with a mounting pile of unwanted mattresses have no cap on how many they can send off. Those interested should either dial 952-894-1448 or hop onto the Certified Recycling website to get on the pickup schedule, as per the Dakota County.

It's not just about decluttering homes, though. The real win is environmental. Dakota County's initiative prevents these bulky bed components from piling up in landfills. Certified Recycling isn't just hauling away mattresses to dump them elsewhere; they take them apart and recycle the materials. The metal, wood, and cloth parts of the mattresses are transformed into new products, breathing new life into what would otherwise be waste, as detailed by the Dakota County.

Interest in mattress disposal is not a mere footnote in county affairs – it tops the list of searched-for items in the Dakota County Recycling Guide directory. The initiative, which kicked off in 2020, has seen Certified Recycling process 2,457 mattresses and box springs and stopped roughly 126,000 pounds of material from contributing to the landfill overload.