A warm welcome back to Women in Circularity, where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. For October, I was pleased to connect with a leader in mattress recycling and circular business solutions, Christine Kiourtsis. Christine is the president of Renewable Recycling Inc. (RRI), a company that diverts mattresses and other difficult-to-recycle materials from landfills by recovering valuable components for reuse and recycling. With more than a decade of experience in recycling operations, Christine is a recognized advocate for advancing circular economy practices and innovative recovery infrastructure across the northeast United States.
Can you share insights on your career in the circular economy and what inspired you to start a recycling company?
“When New York City and Long Island were devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, many homes and their belongings were damaged beyond repair. The cleanup was overwhelming for the local sanitation departments and the priority was to collect damaged items with potential for biohazard and flammability. As a result bulky waste items, like mattresses and box springs, most often were left to accumulate. Out of concern for this growing problem, I began my research and found that over 55,000 bedding items across the country were being carted off to landfills on a daily basis. Each mattress takes up to 100 years to decompose, and poses a serious threat to the waste streams, and most alarmingly, to drinking water. Further research brought to light the fact that the materials inside of a mattress could potentially be recovered and processed to produce industrial carpet underlay, soundproofing and pet bedding. My mission to ‘save the earth, one mattress at a time,’ was born.
“Over a decade later, the RRI team perfected its proprietary recycling process for mattress components and looked to expand its portfolio of materials for recycling. As extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws in New York mandated carpet recycling, RRI took on the challenge of optimizing its recycling process for carpet. Once we found carpet materials to process similarly to mattress textiles, we opened up to additional textiles such as linens, clothing, ceiling tiles, gypsum board, paper and cardboard. By sending all of these materials through our recycling process, and adding an IP of all natural fire retardant and bug repellent ingredients, our blown-in insulation product was born.
“RRI spent all of 2024 and most of 2025 testing our materials in an Environmental Laboratory Approval Program materials lab to prove the components of our insulation product were safe for consumers, wildlife and the environment. Additionally, the product materials were submitted to globally recognized product testing labs and rated equal to, and in some categories, better than leading insulation products on the market. RRI’s blown-in/dense pack insulation product is a proven solution toward a circular economy. The product’s potential has gained interest and excitement from leaders in the green building industry. I am brimming with pride and excitement with the development and expansion of this product, beginning with New York, then quickly spreading across the United States and potentially, as a global solution toward diverting materials from landfills. We are excited to continue this journey as it takes on a path greater than we could have imagined.”
What do you consider the most defining aspect of Renewable Recycling as a company?
“The most defining aspect is our specialized focus on difficult to recycle items, including mattresses, carpeting, ceiling tiles, linens and other materials. We divert thousands of tons of bulky waste from landfills each year and provide critical tonnage diversion reporting to our clients. The company has pioneered an effective system that achieves a high rate of material recovery, turning waste into new resources. I would be remiss to not mention our commitment toward a circular economy and embracing innovation. By recycling mattress and textile components, the company creates new materials into products, with a spotlight on its insulation product. This product has been verified through rigorous federal and state lab testing and is produced from over 90% of the post-consumer recycled materials, with a minimal carbon footprint, in turn, making a significant contribution towards meeting circular economy goals.”
Among the initiatives you have recently supported, is there one that stands out as being particularly rewarding?
“I’m particularly proud of the program running with New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which is America’s largest landlord. We began with a pilot program on eight developments across New York City’s five boroughs and to date we are in our fifth contracted year across 58 developments. Through this program, we have given employment and educational opportunities to NYCHA residents, which has been more personally rewarding than professionally. Through in-depth landfill tonnage reports of mattress and box spring units collected throughout years 1-3, we had submitted the data to a carbon credit consulting firm, who in turn submitted to engineers that comprise formulas for carbon dioxide reduction programs. We had received an official formula for a carbon credit program that dictates: 190 mattress (or 10 tons of materials) equals 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide. So, for every 190 mattresses recycled, we are mitigating 1 metric ton of carbon footprint. Obtaining this formula continues to be one of the most powerful and rewarding accomplishments throughout my journey in this realm.”
Looking ahead, what trend do you see emerging in the mattress and textile recycling sector?
“Increasing prohibitions by landfill and transfer station operators to accept bulky waste items that characteristically, release high levels of leachate, takes up precious landfill space and takes upwards of 100 years to decompose. The primary bulky waste example here is mattresses. Across the East Coast, solid waste authorities are pressuring municipalities to invest in mattress recycling programs. The charge for accepting one single mattress has increased, in some cases more than 300%, in the past year alone. This shift in waste restrictions at the landfill is a great leap forward in choosing a recycling program that now becomes more financially favorable. Further, landfill prohibition of mattresses draws the attention of local legislators to support legislative initiatives for mattress landfill bans and EPR laws for mattress recycling initiatives.”
Is there a podcast about the circular economy you would recommend?
“The Untangling Circularity Podcast is an excellent resource. It’s highly engaging, the topics are extremely relevant to our work and the experts interviewed are very knowledgeable in applications, economics and trends in circularity across the US and Europe.”
MaryEllen Etienne is the creator of Women in Circularity. Etienne works on the Market Transformation and Development team for the US Green Building Council. She has over 20 years of experience in sustainability and is a champion of the circular economy.
