In Denver, we have these folks who troll the alleys looking for stuff to recycle. Metal goods are snapped up in a flash. Usable furnishings. And Mitch has been known to dumpster dive for lawn implements with small engines.

It’s a win-win for everybody. The stuff stays clear of the landfill. The scavengers get the dough. And the originator cleans house.

Then there are the mattresses. Used mattress are regular denizens of our alley, standing sentry for weeks until Large Item Pick-up makes its monthly trundling pass. Now it’s our mattress lurking in the alley.

I bought this mattress set when I was a graduate student and my loaner bed was recalled by its rightful owner. After some research, I discovered that one could acquire a refurbished hotel bed for significantly less money than buying one new and being very thrifty thought this was a fine course of action. Equipped with a $10 bedframe I bought at a garage sale, I prepared to accept my $125 bed. The story becomes more complicated, given that most hotel beds are extra long and don’t fit standard frames. This required a trip to Denver’s industrial district, where a tall bearded man with tattoos and arms the size of ham shanks welded my vintage bed frame to fit my discount mattress. Soon all was well and I had my clean, extra firm double—a bed so hard and unyielding even the cats hated it.

Now, it stands in the alley, a little worse for the wear having done its job torturing us into knotted masses for almost 20 years. It seems so tawdry to leave it there, alone and exposed. Surely this recycled bed can be recycled again?

Your thoughts?