Concerning mattress producer responsibility organizations.

SB 6271 requires mattress producers (including brands, manufacturers, and importers) in Washington State to fund and manage recycling programs for discarded mattresses, shifting responsibility from taxpayers to the industry. The bill mandates that producers join or create a "producer responsibility organization" (PRO) that implements a stewardship program following a priority hierarchy: waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and then other disposal methods only after higher options are exhausted. The PRO must track mattresses from collection to final disposition, maintain detailed records, ensure worker safety, and use environmentally sound practices like separating recyclable materials (metal, foam, wood) instead of landfilling. This law directly affects mattress producers, distributors, and recyclers, aiming to reduce landfill use (currently 95% of mattresses) and illegal dumping by increasing recycling rates.