The plastic bag debate in HRM has been settled for the time being – but now a city committee is talking about recycling mattresses.

A briefing going to the environment and sustainability committee today suggests charging producers a fee to sustain a recycling program.

The note states most private processors charge about $10 to $15 per mattress.

It’s not clear what the program would actually cost the municipality, but in Toronto, the collection of bulky curbside items is estimated at $200 dollars a tonne. Processing runs to $400 a tonne.

Committee vice-chair Jennifer Watts isn’t sold on discussing the idea in isolation. She tells Metro Halifax it should be included in the broader review of HRM’s waste management system coming up in the fall.