MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council is proposing the creation of a statewide mattress recycling program to ease the burden of the cumbersome and costly item at landfills.

Mattresses pose many problems for both trash collectors and taxpayers alike. They’re tough to move, they take up a lot of space and they hold so much air they don’t like to stay buried. They’re expensive to recycle, too.

Minnesota Public Radio News reports Minneapolis spends about $600,000 to recycle 34,000 mattresses each year. Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling Director Dave Herberholz says each mattress and box spring costs about $18 to recycle, far more than any other recyclable item the city handles.

The city council will decide next month whether to bring the issue to the Legislature through its Capitol lobbying agenda.