Section 42986.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 42986.
in effectFor purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
(a)
(1)
“Consumer” means an owner of a mattress, including a person, business, corporation, limited partnership, nonprofit organization, or governmental entity, and including the ultimate purchaser, owner, or lessee of a mattress.
(2)
“Consumer” does not include a government organization or other party that obtains one or more used mattresses in the course of collecting used mattresses for recycling for purposes of this chapter, or through the ordinary collection and handling of municipal solid waste.
(b)
“Distributor” means a company that has a contractual
relationship with one or more manufacturers to market and sell mattresses to retailers.
(c)
“Foundation” means a ticking-covered structure used to support a mattress or sleep surface. The structure may include constructed frames, foam, box springs, or other materials, used alone or in combination.
(d)
“Good faith effort” means all reasonable and economically practical efforts by a mattress recycling organization to implement the components identified in its approved plan consistent with its annual budget.
(e)
“Importer” means a party qualifying as an “importer of record” for purposes of Section 1484(a)(2)(B) of Title 19 of the United States Code, with regard to the import of a finished mattress sold
in the state that was manufactured or assembled by a company outside the United States.
(f)
(1)
“Manufacturer” means any of the following:
(A)
The person who manufactures a mattress and who sells, offers for sale, or distributes a mattress in the state.
(B)
If there is no person who is a manufacturer of a mattress for purposes of subparagraph (A), the manufacturer is the person who imports the mattress into the state for sale or distribution.
(2)
Except as provided pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 42987, a retailer that brings a mattress into its store locations from an out-of-state warehouse or distribution center is not
a manufacturer.
(g)
(1)
“Mattress” means 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.
(2)
“Mattress” includes a foundation, a renovated mattress or renovated foundation, and a futon mattress.
(3)
“Mattress” does not include the following:
(A)
An unattached mattress pad or unattached mattress topper, including items with resilient filling, with or without ticking, intended to be used with or on top of a mattress.
(B)
A sleeping bag or
pillow.
(C)
A car bed, crib, or bassinet mattress.
(D)
Juvenile products, including a carriage, basket, dressing table, stroller, playpen, infant carrier, lounge pad, or crib bumper, and the pads for those juvenile products.
(E)
A product containing liquid- and gaseous-filled ticking, including a water bed and air mattress that does not contain upholstery material between the ticking and the mattress core.
(F)
Upholstered furniture that does not otherwise contain a detachable mattress or that is a fold out sofa bed, sleeper sofa, or folding cot.
(h)
“Mattress recycling organization” or “organization” means an
organization exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that is established by a qualified industry association, composed of manufacturers, renovators, and retailers, and certified pursuant to Section 42987, to develop, implement, and administer the mattress recycling program established pursuant to this chapter.
(i)
“Used mattress recovery and recycling plan” or “plan” means the plan for recycling used mattresses that is developed by the mattress recycling organization pursuant to this chapter.
(j)
“Program” or “used mattress recycling program” means the program implemented by the mattress recycling organization
pursuant to a plan approved by the department.
(k)
“Qualified industry association” means the International Sleep Products Association or a successor of that organization, or a group of mattress manufacturers that collectively represent at least 35 percent of the volume of mattresses manufactured in the United States.
(
l
)
“Recycle” or “recycling” has the same meaning as defined in Section 40180.
(m)
“Recycler” means a person that engages in the manual or mechanical separation of mattresses to substantially recover components and commodities contained in mattresses for the purpose of reuse or recycling.
(n)
“Recycling charge” or
“charge” means the charge imposed on the sale of a new or renovated mattress at the point of sale and collected by the organization to fund the recycling of used mattresses pursuant to this chapter.
(o)
(1)
“Renovate” or “renovation” means altering a used mattress for the purpose of resale and includes one or more of the following:
(A)
Replacing the mattress, ticking, or filling.
(B)
Adding additional filling.
(C)
Rebuilding a used mattress.
(D)
Replacing components with new or postconsumer materials unless the material is a clean recycled material, consists of used electronic
parts or controls, or is a used mattress base that is not covered by ticking.
(2)
“Renovate” or “renovation” does not include any of the
following:
(A)
Stripping a mattress of its ticking or filling without adding new material.
(B)
Sterilizing or sanitizing a mattress without otherwise altering the mattress.
(C)
Altering a mattress by a renovator when a person retains the altered mattress for lease, rental, or personal use.
(D)
Refurbishing that disqualifies a mattress for a yellow wholesale renovator tag to be affixed to the mattress, in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
(p)
“Renovator” means a person who renovates used mattresses for the purpose of sale, or offering
for sale, in this state.
(q)
“Retailer” means a person who sells mattresses in the state or offers to a consumer a mattress in the state through any means, including, but not limited to, by remote offering, including sales outlets or catalogs, electronically through the internet, by telephone, or through the mail.
(r)
“Sale” or “sell” means the transfer of title of a mattress for consideration, including by a manufacturer, a distributor, or a retailer for eventual consumption to a consumer in the state, including remote sales conducted through sales outlets, catalogs, or the internet or any other similar electronic means. For purposes of this chapter, a long-term lease of not less than 12 months is the same as a sale.
(s)
“Solid waste facility” means, for purposes of this chapter, a solid waste facility as defined in Section 40194 that accepts, under its normal operating conditions, used mattresses for collection, storing, and handling, whether for recycling or disposal.
(t)
(1)
“Ticking” means the outermost layer of fabric or related material of a mattress.
(2)
“Ticking” does not include another layer of fabric or related material that is quilted together with, or otherwise attached to, the outermost layer of fabric or related material.
(u)
“Used mattress” means a mattress that has been abandoned or discarded by a consumer.
References
referencesCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 1484.
referencesCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 42987.
referencesCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 501.
referencesCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40180.
referencesCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40194.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026