RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — A Virginia Bill that passed through the general assembly could soon change what shoppers pay when they buy a new mattress, adding a separate recycling fee at checkout as the state looks to reduce landfill waste.

House Bill 86 would create a statewide mattress stewardship program in Virginia. Under the plan, manufacturers and retailers would be required to join a recycling system designed to collect, break down, and reuse old mattresses.

Supporters say the program would help address a persistent landfill problem. Del. Amy Laufer, a Democrat representing District 55, said, “Mattresses do not compact, which is critical to the lifespan of a landfill.”

“They occupy about 400% more space than anything around them, and they can take up to 100 years to decompose,” she said.

The bill would also add a recycling fee as a separate line item when a customer buys a mattress. The fee has not been finalized, but lawmakers estimate it would cost about $20 per mattress.

Some local retailers said the added cost could affect customers and businesses. Stephen Elam, owner of Mattress By Appointment Hill City, which recently opened this year, said, “It does impact our business; it impacts our bottom line.” Elam also said, “Price sensitivity is a big deal with our customers, and so any little increase in price puts pressure on families in our community.”

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Hunter Hall, president of Great American Sleep Shop, raised concerns about how the recycling would be carried out, saying, “My biggest concern is at the end of the day, the recycling won’t be done in the manner which we all hope it would be.” Hall also criticized the potential added cost, saying, “I think we pay plenty as it is in every step of our lives. We pay taxes for everything. It doesn’t need to be double taxing mattresses.” He added, “I think it’s just going to make everything more expensive when it comes to bedding as a whole.”

Opponents in the General Assembly have also framed the fee as an added burden on consumers. Del. Eric Zehr, a Republican representing the 51st District, said, “Every time we go to sleep, think about, ‘ah, here’s another tax and I’m paying more just to go to sleep.’”

Zehr argued that residents already pay for disposal through existing systems. “So we all are already paying for it when we get, you know, I’m paying every time I go to the landfill or, you know, in the city, we’re paying for it when you pay to have your trash taken away,” he said. “So my point, though, is if you’re going to create new fees, don’t run on affordability.”

Republican Sen. Mark Peake from District 8 agrees, “A tax on sleep, that’s what we call it, the sleep tax to get rid of your mattress.”

“A con job and a hoax, we’ve been telling you they didn’t do anything that was affordable for every day Virginians. They’re raising our taxes,” Peake said.

Elam said retailers may be forced to absorb some of the cost. “A lot of times we’re going to probably end up eating the cost,” he said. He also warned the fee could hit lower-income customers hardest, saying, “The people who really need it, the people that we’re trying to help, are the ones who get hurt the most, the people who are struggling, that 20 bucks makes a difference.”

Both Elam and Hall say they are hoping Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoes the bill.

The International Sleep Products Association and Mattress Recycling Council said in a statement, “Hundreds of thousands of mattresses and box springs discarded throughout the Commonwealth will be diverted from state landfills to recycling.”

They added that the program would give “communities an important tool for preventing illegal dumping.” The groups are also pushing for the next step, saying, “We urge Abigail Spanberger to sign the legislation.”

The bill passed in the General Assembly and is now heading to the governor’s desk. Democratic delegates Lily Franklin and Sam Rasoul were contacted for interviews, but were not available.

If approved, the program would roll out over the next couple of years, meaning the next time Virginians replace a mattress, they may also pay an added fee intended to fund recycling of the old one.