Sweet dreams and a sustainable night’s sleep are now a reality following the launch of Australia’s first bed base made from 100% recycled plastic under the brand ‘Circular Beds’.

Made in Victoria, the pioneering bed base contains about 22kg of recycled consumer plastic (for a king single) from items such as milk crates, garden pots, storage containers and buckets, and is completely recyclable at the end of life.

The concept of a 100% recycled plastic bed base had its genesis in a question from Tracey Pryor, Director of Innovation at the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council (ABSC), to Dr John Stehle, Inventor and Director of ROBOVOID, being ‘how can we redesign bed bases to keep them out of landfill and make them truly sustainable?’

ROBOVOID subsequently developed the concept into a prototype with the support of Swinburne University, GT Recycling and the ABSC, with $300,000 in grant funding from Sustainability Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government.

According to ROBOVOID Director, Scott Olding, bed bases are typically constructed from low-grade virgin timber, bolted or stapled together, and covered in fabric affixed with more staples. This mix of materials is notoriously difficult and costly to recycle as it’s labour intensive.

“By using recycled plastic for the bed bases, we avoid using virgin materials and divert plastics from landfill. Additionally, this recycled plastic is sourced within Australia, unlike many other bed base materials that are often imported and made from virgin resources,” he says.

A second Sustainability Victoria grant of $100,000, with contributions of cash and in-kind from ROBOVOID, the ABSC and Social Living, a social enterprise, is paving the way for commercial outcomes.

To support further refining of the bed base design, four trials are currently in progress or have been completed.

The trial participants are drawn from Social Living’s network and focus on environments that have higher tenancy turnover rates, typically produce greater volumes of bedding waste and are organisations that want better outcomes for the environment.

Two trials are in student accommodation, another in a social housing environment and the fourth in a First Nation’s community in the Northern Territory.

Benjamin Armstrong, Director at Social Living, says its organisation’s focus is on designing and manufacturing bedding and furniture applying circular economy principles.

“We’ve designed our products to be easily repaired, returned and recycled. By creating a circular market for our products, and building them to last, Social Living keeps more furniture waste off the streets and out of landfill,” he says.

“Our goal is to find better ways to develop products that fit into a circular economy so we can create more jobs for marginalised and at-risk communities.”

The Circular Beds bed base is also designed for durability, resisting mould, odour, and pests. It’s easy to clean and sterilize for reuse, which significantly extends its lifespan and counters the disposability culture. At the end of its life, the bed base can be fully recycled, maintaining its utility within the circular economy and helping reduce both bedding waste and waste management costs.

“We’re grateful for the support and contributions from our partners. The Circular Beds project embodies the ABSC’s dedication to innovation and sustainability, and we look forward to sharing this journey with the industry and beyond,” Tracey Pryor of the ABSC says.

The Circular Beds bed base was unveiled to representatives from the bedding industry on 19 November at Sustainability Victoria where ROBOVOID showcased the product's potential to reshape the bedding industry. As a result, the bed base is now on display at Chiropedic in Braybrook.

“This is a notable example of how Sustainability Victoria is supporting new research and development that helps Victoria lead the way in cutting waste and reducing our impact on the environment,” Matt Genever, CEO of Sustainability Victoria says.

“Australians throw away about 1.8 million mattresses and hundreds of thousands of bed bases a year, with a high percentage ending up in landfill. This project is not only using our post-consumer plastic waste but creating a product with tremendous social benefits.”

Image: Robovoid's John Stehle and Scott Olding / Supplied

Clémence Carayol

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