Joshua Costa is the owner of Sleep Well Recycling, a mattress recycling company based in Burlington, Vermont.

"If you ask my mom, she says, when she asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said a garbage man," Costa said. "Now, I'm living the dream."

Costa has been working in waste removal his whole career. He started in precious metal recycling and later worked in junk removal.

In 2020, he decided to open Sleep Well Recycling after noticing just how much other companies were charging to throw out mattresses. "The main garbage company up here was charging $15.95 per mattress. And so, I came in at $18, and I said, hey, for $2.05 extra, we will recycle 75 to 100% of these."

Costa and his team spend seven to 10 minutes per mattress ripping them apart and sorting the materials so that they can be recycled. It's not easy work, but in doing so, they're able to divert most of the waste from landfills.

His first month in business, Costa had a goal to get 77 mattresses, which would be enough to pay the bills for the warehouse he was renting. That week, they ended up receiving 900 from a hotel in Vermont. Needless to say, they were able to pay their bills. Over the last five years, Costas has been able to grow his team, and in the summer, his busiest season, he employs up to 15 part-time employees, many of whom are new Americans.

"It's a really difficult business, but honestly, I just love doing a good thing."

To hear the rest of Costa's story, use the audio player above.