Definitions:

Last Updated: February 2025

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

End User: A person (also referred to as a consumer) or other purchaser of Included Products (including but not limited to a hotel, dormitory or other institution). In California, a lessee of an Included Product is considered an End User.

Fee Report: The electronic report in a format prescribed by MRC at MRCreporting.org that a Retailer will use to remit fees to MRC.

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 are included in California’s definition of “Mattress”. For these purposes, a Futon must meet the general definition of a Mattress (see definition below). The Recycling Fee and obligations apply only to the Futon mattress. They do not apply to the Futon frame or base.

Included Products: Products included in the approved mattress recycling Program under the mattress recycling law of that State. These products are subject to the Recycling Fee and are eligible 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 through any means.

MRC: Abbreviation for the Mattress Recycling Council, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that, through its State specific limited liability affiliate companies, operate the legislatively mandated statewide mattress recycling Programs.

Manufacturer: A person or entity who manufactures or imports Included Products in one or more of the States that have enacted mattress recycling laws. Under MRC’s Connecticut and Rhode Island Programs, a distributor is also considered a Manufacturer.

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. Futons are included in the definition of Mattress under the California Program.

Participant: A person or entity that is registered with MRC as a: a) Manufacturer b) Retailer c) Distributor d) Institutional Seller or e) Renovator.

Program (or Mattress Recycling Program): A mattress recycling plan approved by a State.

Records: The documentation required to confirm the quantities of Included Products sold during a Reporting Period to calculate the Fees to be remitted in accordance with that State’s Program (e.g., sales invoices, statements, bills of lading and other financial documentation).

Recycling Fee (Fee, Charge or Stewardship Assessment): 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. In Oregon, the Fee is called a Stewardship Assessment.

Renovator: A person or entity that alters a used Mattress (including Futon Mattresses in California) 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 offers new, used or renovated Included Product for sale 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. This includes Institutional Sellers. A Manufacturer, Distributor, brand owner, importer, Renovator or other entity selling directly to an End User are also considered a Retailer and must register with MRC as a Retailer.

Sell: The transfer of title of an Included Product (by a Manufacturer, Renovator, Distributor, Institutional Seller 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.

State: A jurisdiction that has enacted a law that provides for the collection and recycling of discarded Included Products.

State Regulatory Agencies: The State agency with regulatory oversight for approving and administering the mattress recycling Program in that State including:

• California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)
• Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)
• Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (Oregon DEQ)
• Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC)

URN:The Uniform Registry Number (URN) is a number that is issued by individual states to Manufacturers and Renovators. The URN allows states to track Mattresses and Foundations to a specific manufacturing plant and enable cross-state sales. 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)