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7 Rivers Recycling, LLC was founded in 2011 by Hilltopper Refuse & Recycling Service, Inc. and D&M Recycling as a collaborative effort to do more in recycling.
They started by recycling items such as e-waste, lightbulbs and more. Then in 2013, La Crosse County investigated opportunities to recycle mattresses. One year later in 2014 a public-private partnership started resulting in 7 Rivers Recycling dismantling and recycling mattresses.
Did you know? 7 Rivers Recycling is Wisconsin's ONLY mattress recycling company!
At our most recent Sustainability Chats, Brian Tippetts, co-owner of 7 Rivers Recycling took us on a virtual tour of their mattress recycling location.
Brian has worked in the solid waste and recycling profession for over three decades in small and large organizations.
Over the three decades Brian led the early adoption of a community paper and battery recycling program (1984); oversaw the cleanup of a hazardous waste as a Superfund Project Manager; led the creation of a regional multi-county two-state solid waste disposal system; starting a permanent regional household hazardous waste materials management facility/program with capital funding through a negotiated Supplement Environmental Program (SEP) enforcement payment; worked for an ecology company with the job of bringing the science of ecological restoration to landfills and mines; and presently works as a business manager for Hilltopper Refuse and Recycling Service, Inc.
At the virtual tour, participants were able to learn more about the importance and impact recycling mattresses has had for our region. Many wondered how many mattresses were recycled by 7 Rivers Recycling and were surprised to hear about how many places claim to "recycle" mattresses but don't. Brian also shared the different and inventive ways the parts of the mattress are being reused such as mattress felt for garden bed weed barrier, and was open to finding new ideas and partnerships to keep mattresses recycled and out of the landfill.
If you happened to miss the tour, you can watch the video playback HERE.
Links referenced during the tour.
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