RIYADH: The inspection team of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) has shut down a factory in Madinah after it was found using recycled and waste sponge to manufacture mattresses and pillows.

According to an official, this is the fifth such factory to be closed down in the western province.

The inspectors confiscated 20,000 substandard mattresses and pillows that were produced in unhygienic conditions, even without sterilization process.

The raw material, especially sponge, was reportedly collected from waste containers throughout the city and the products were marketed at highways to evade inspectors, the inspectors said.

During the raid, inspectors found that workers made pillows with recycled sponge and polyester products collected from waste containers and, finally, covered them with plastic bags carrying popular brand names.

According to the inspectors, the factory did not have a license to operate and there was no indication of the factory which was being run inside a private company.

The counterfeit goods were seized because they pose a risk to the safety of consumers, while those responsible were summoned by the MCI for investigation and legal procedures. The authorities also seized sewing machines from the site.

The MCI emphasized that it will not hesitate in imposing legal penalties on offenders and those involved in fraud, which puts the health and safety of consumers at risk. It urged consumers to lodge complaints or observations through the toll free number 1900, or through the application of a commercial notification.

During a previous inspection of a similar factory in the south of Jeddah, MCI inspectors seized an Isuzu truck loaded with 300 substandard mattresses made from raw material collected from garbage bins.