No mandatory physical take-back

Contrary to most other waste streams for wich there is a take-back obligation, final sellers of mattresses are not obliged to accept discarded mattresses from their customers. That is also the case for brokers and producers or importers who sell mattresses to an end seller.

Valumat provides a financial incentive for final sellers of mattresses who accept discarded mattresses on a voluntary basis when purchasing a new mattress. For practical reasons, that amount is calculated on the basis of the collected tonnage (600 €/ton). This equates to approx. 9 € per mattress.