Illegal mattress dumping is a costly problem for many California communities. One state Senator wants to force mattress manufacturers to set up a recycling program.

The bill would ask manufacturers to come up with a plan to recycle old mattresses at no cost to the consumer.

A similar bill last session was narrowly defeated in the Senate.

Democratic Senator Loni Hancock is the bill's author.

She says old mattresses dumped on the sidewalk can become a health hazard and a breeding ground for pests.

Hancock says communities should not be forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for their disposal.

HANCOCK: "There are six businesses that recycle mattresses now, and they are crying for product. So we think a program like this is actually going to create jobs for Californians.

Hancock says less than 8-percent of the existing 2.5 million mattresses in California are recycled.

Mattress manufacturers opposed the legislation last year.

They said it would create costs that would be passed on to the consumer.