NEW BEDFORD — The Kilburn Mill is welcoming back manufacturing, as HandUp launches a mattress recycling and upcycling business.

"I think if you want to attract employees, people really want to know it's more besides just making furniture," said Erik Dyson, CEO and founder of the social impact business that was launched in January.

As MassDEP recently announced that all mattresses will be banned from landfills as of Nov. 1, 2022, and must be recycled, Dyson said he launched HandUp as a way to help with the upcoming initiative.

"I think businesses are starting to really figure out every part of the waste stream," Dyson said. "How do you figure out a way to extend this life or recycle and reuse it? It's really going to become even more important especially with questions around climate change lately."

As only one one of five mattress recyclers in the state, HandUp works with towns and municipalities, retailers, junk haulers and individuals to bring their mattresses to them.

When a mattress arrives at the 18,000-square-foot facility, the material is sorted into three categories. The cotton is stripped away and combined to make 1,000-pound blocks that are sent to Ohio to be ground up to be reused as cotton again.

How to properly recycle: Reduce, reuse (refill) recycle: It's exhausting!

Recycling a mattress

The foam is also gathered together and sent to North Carolina to be made into carpet padding, while the steel frame is sent out to be grounded up and reused. Any pieces of plastic, that can't be recycled, is disposed.

"The goal is to recycle at least 75% of the weight of every mattress and to keep it off the waste stream," Dyson said.

Old Grist Mill Tavern: Owners want to retire. Fall River restaurateur wants to take over.

In addition to recycling the mattresses, Dyson added that about 5% are deemed to be still in good shape to be resold in the front of their store.

"We are able to sell high-quality mattresses for a fraction of normal retail," Dyson said. "Providing a critical service to local folks in need of a good and fairly priced mattress."

For example, on Wednesday, the shop had a $3,400 mattress being sold for $400. As for any stigma around buying a used mattress, Dyson asks people to consider how many people have slept in a hotel bed.

Giving back to the community

Aside from recycling mattresses, Dyson said his business employs workers from other countries as part of his social mission. The logo, which features multiple hands coming together, is all about giving folks an opportunity to improve their lives by giving them good jobs.

"Because this is a low English skilled job, people can come in have a good decent pay, work 40 hours a week, and we treat them well," Dyson said. "And they can increase their skill set, and also learn English over time."

Set up as a social impact business, even though it is a for-profit company, Dyson said he and his investors agreed that 60% to 80% of profits will go toward helping immigrants and refugees in Massachusetts.

Originally from Indiana, Dyson lives with his family in Mattapoisett. He and his wife worked for 25 years in the corporate sector, before transitioning to a nonprofit.

Anyone can write a poem: NB's poet laureate is reshaping how people think of poetry

"We wanted to do something where I wanted to use my time to build a business, that's a sustainable business," he said.

Developing the business plan

Dyson said he learned about a West Coast company called Cascade Alliance, which helps nonprofits set up "for profit businesses" to give them an alternative funding stream such as thrift stores, antique upcycling and mattress recycling.

Dyson, who had recently learned that an estimated 600,000 mattresses are disposed of yearly in Massachusetts, said he thought stepping into the mattress recycling space would be a good fit for him.

"We're not building new landfills here, we won't, and so we have to have less going into those landfills," he said.

Over the last year, he worked with Cascade Alliance to better understand the business.  Dyson hopes that people are influenced by HandUp to do something different and creative that helps the community or the planet.

"Who would have thought 15 years ago, you could run a good business selling used books on the Internet via Amazon, selling to anyone in the United States," he said.

"I think people are more open lately to doing something that in turn helps everyone."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: HandsUp recycles and upcycles mattresses at New Bedford Kilburn Mill