How Natural Latex is Saving Our Landfills

Thinking about our impact on the environment

There is a large and important focus on nature and the climate lately and for good reason. People are focused on pollution and doing things like riding their bikes or commuting to work in more economical vehicles. More people than ever before are recycling both at work and at home items like aluminum cans, plastic bottles even paper and cardboard rather than simply throwing the waste away, which are important and helpful practices. Unfortunately people fail to think about all the other types of trash that is thrown away because as a culture, we accumulate a lot of trash. A large amount of this trash is not recyclable, reusable, or combustible and therefore ends up spending the rest of its life in a landfill. Visit a landfill and the reality hits of the waste of items we use daily that end up in landfills but the one you may not think much about mattresses takes up more landfill space than nearly all other household items combined. This is due to the fact that modern mattresses don’t last as long and need replacing every five to eight years. There short life span combined with the fact that there are very few places that recycle mattresses, leaves a vast majority of them sitting in landfills for years and years, where they can be hazardous to the environment.

A new direction for for sustainability in our homes

Natural latex is made from the milky tree sap and the finished product is almost entirely natural. This helps to make them more biodegradable so when they do sit in a landfill, they will assimilate back into the environment naturally with little if any harm. Natural rubber is also more durable and so these mattresses don’t end up in landfills as quickly as their synthetic counterparts. In the end this means far less mattresses end up in landfills but when they do end up in landfills, they will easily be recycled back into the earth as they are up to 95% natural materials. And because mattresses make up the bulk of landfill trash, precious space can be saved for items that will not compost.

It’s all about health

Natural latex is not only a good investment in the health of the environment but in your health as well. Using natural latex products, such as mattresses, limits your exposure to possibly harmful chemicals. Mattresses are not the only products made with natural latex but they are perhaps the most important and most influential. A lot of time is spent sleeping and when using mattresses treated with man-made chemicals, eliminating these chemicals can quickly reduce your overall chemical exposure with absolutely no change to your daily routine. It’s easy to rest peacefully when you know you are resting safely.

Whether you consider yourself an environmentalist or you just do your best to remember to recycle your soda can, natural latex will be beneficial and it can fit into the lifestyle of every individual. The quickest way to do the environment a favor is to switch to an organic mattress and it’s an investment in nature that does not interfere with daily life. No matter how much organic or “green” material you try and incorporate into your life, natural latex mattresses are an important and excellent investment for everyone. They offer more than just environmental protection and will be as good to their owner as they are to the environment.