Definitions:

Last Updated: August 2022

Distributor: A person or entity that has a contractual relationship with one or more Manufacturers to market and Sell Mattresses or Foundations to Retailers.

End User: A person (also referred to as a consumer) or entity (including but not limited to a hotel, dormitory, etc.) that is the ultimate purchaser of Included Products.

Foundation (including box spring): A ticking or fabric-covered structure used to support a Mattress or sleep surface and may be comprised of a frame, foam, springs or other structure, or other materials, used alone or in combination, regardless of whether the product is stationary or adjustable. This includes new, used and renovated products.

Futon: Futons have been added to California’s definition of “Mattress,” (as of January 1, 2020). For these purposes, a Futon must meet the general definition of a Mattress which the law defines as “a resilient material or combination of materials that is enclosed by a ticking, is used alone or in combination with other products, and is intended for or promoted for sleeping upon.” The Recycling Fee and obligations apply only to the futon mattress. They do not apply to the futon frame or base. These changes only affect MRC program participants in California. Futons are not included in MRC’s Connecticut, Rhode Island or Oregon programs.

Included Products: Products included in the mattress recycling Program under the mattress recycling law of that state. These products are subject to the Recycling Fee and are admissible for recycling through MRC’s network. Click here to see a list of Included Products.

Institutional Seller: A person or entity that Sells or offers for sale Included Products for public or corporate use (such as a hotel or other lodging establishment, school, dormitory, hospital, nursing home, correctional institution, military facility, rental company or other non-residential End User) in one or more of the states that have enacted mattress recycling laws (currently California, Connecticut, Rhode Island or Oregon) through any means.

Manufacturer: A person or entity who manufactures or imports a Mattress or Foundation and who Sells or offers for sale or distribution a Mattress or Foundation in the state.

Mattress: Any sleep surface covered with ticking or fabric that contains resilient material, such as steel innersprings, foam, fiber, or other filling or upholstery materials, used alone or in combination, regardless of size or shape, except for those products listed on the excluded products list. This includes new, used and renovated products.

Participant: A person or entity that is registered with MRC as: a) a Manufacturer, b) a Retailer or c) Distributor

Program: A mattress recycling plan approved by a state

Records: The documentation required to confirm the quantities of Units sold during a given month and to calculate the Recycling Fees to be remitted (e.g., sales invoices, statements, bills of lading and other financial documentation)

Recycling Fee(s): An amount set by MRC that must be collected on each Included Product sold to an End User in one or more of the states that have enacted mattress recycling laws (currently California, Connecticut, Rhode Island or Oregon)

Remitter: A party that is required by state law to collect Mattress Recycling Fees (or their equivalent) and remit those Recycling Fees to MRC.

Renovator: A person or entity that alters a used Mattress or Foundation for later resale by replacing the outer cover or filling, adding filling, rebuilding the used Mattress or Foundation, or replacing components with new or post-consumer components. This does not include stripping a Mattress or Foundation of its ticking without adding new material, sterilizing or sanitizing the used materials, or altering a Mattress or Foundation for a party that will retain the product for lease, rental or personal use (and not for resale).

Reporting Period: A calendar month

Retailer: A person or entity that Sells or offers for sale Included Products to an end user through any means, including, but not limited to: through a physical store, or by remote offering, including sales outlets or catalogs, electronically through the Internet, by telephone, via a television sales channel, or through the mail.

Sell: The transfer of title of a product (by a Manufacturer, Renovator or a Retailer) for consumption by an End User, including but not limited to: through a physical store, by remote offering including sales outlets or catalogs, electronically through the Internet, by telephone, via a television sales channel, or through the mail.

Unit: A Mattress or Foundation. (Effective Jan. 1, 2020 Futons are included in the definition of Mattresses in California only.)

URN: The Uniform Registry Number (URN) is a number that is issued by individual states to Manufacturers. The URN allows states to track Mattresses to a specific manufacturing plant and enable cross-state sales of Mattresses. It is typically found in the Registration Number field on the bedding law label.

The number should follow this format:

• The “Prefix” is a two-letter abbreviation of the state that the number is issued in.
• The “Middle” is the record identity number assigned by the state and allows it to “manage” the URN.
• The “Suffix” is a two-letter abbreviation of the state or the country in which the physical manufacturing plant is located in
  • Example - VA 12345 (CA)