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At first glance, the dusty bay in a northwest industrial park looks like a simple mattress recycling shop.

But there’s something unusual happening.

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Bring your old mattress to any city-run eco station or big bin event and you’re not just saving the planet. You’re helping a new immigrant feed his kids or giving job skills to those who were homeless.

The City of Edmonton waste management contract supporting this business fights poverty, and founder Murray Soroka hopes the small-scale effort can spark a wider debate on how tax dollars can be leveraged for good.

“Yes, price is important,” said Soroka. But it’s not everything, he said. If Edmonton went looking for more opportunities like this, tax dollars could do double duty. “It would go a long ways toward ending poverty.”

Soroka is executive director for the Jasper Place Wellness Centre, a community hub for homeless and low-income residents in the west end.