How to Dispose of a Mattress

A mattress is one of the hardest household items to get rid of: too big for the trash, banned from landfill in several states, refused by most charities, and prohibited in most rental dumpsters. It is also one of the few items with a genuinely free route almost everywhere — and if you live in one of four states, you have already paid for that route whether you use it or not.

Short answer: book your city's bulk pickup. It is free, it takes mattresses in any condition, and it is the option most people never think to check. If you cannot wait, a transfer station will take it for $10–$30. Paying $75–$175 for removal is only worth it if the mattress is upstairs, you have no vehicle, or you are on a deadline.

Which route is yours?

Work down this table and stop at the first row that describes you.

Your situation	What to do	Cost	How long
You're buying a replacement	Retailer haul-away — arrange it when you order, not on delivery day	Free–$30	On delivery
You live in CA, CT, OR or RI	Drop off at a participating recycler — you already paid a fee at purchase	Free	Same day
You can wait a few weeks	City bulk pickup via 311 or your city's site	Free	Days to 3 months
It's genuinely clean and near-new	Call a local charity branch directly, or list it free on Marketplace	Free	Days
You have a truck and an afternoon	Transfer station or landfill	$10–$30	1–2 hours
No vehicle, no collection, no rush	Cut it down yourself, scrap the springs	Free, or small scrap payment	1–2 hours
Upstairs, deadline, or a whole house	Hire removal — see mattress removal cost	$75–$175	Same/next day

Can you just put a mattress in the trash?

Not in a regular trash can — it will not fit, and crews will not take it as regular collection. But almost every US city has a route for it, and in most cases that route is free.

Two rules catch people out:

Many cities require the mattress to be wrapped in plastic before curbside collection. It is a bed-bug control measure, and crews will refuse an unwrapped mattress where it applies. Disposal bags cost a few dollars at any hardware store.
Leaving it out unannounced is usually a fineable offense. Bulk collection is booked, not automatic.

Four states where you have already paid for this

California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island run mattress stewardship programs. A recycling fee was added to the price when the mattress was bought in that state, and that fee funds free drop-off at participating sites. If you live in one of them and you pay someone to haul a mattress away, you are paying twice.

The programs are run by the Mattress Recycling Council under the name Bye Bye Mattress, which publishes a site-finder and the current fee for each state. Everywhere else in the US there is no statewide program, and your city's rules are what govern.

California has a rule worth knowing about. If you are having a new mattress delivered, California law requires the retailer to offer to take your old one at no additional cost. Three caveats: delivery and setup fees for the new mattress can still apply, the retailer has up to 30 days to collect the old one, and they may refuse it if it presents a health or safety risk. If a retailer will not comply, the program takes complaints on 1-855-229-1691 (Mon–Fri, 9–5 Eastern).

Your options, cheapest first

1. City bulk pickup — free

Most municipalities collect bulky items free, commonly two to four times a year, sometimes monthly. Mattresses almost always qualify and condition is irrelevant.

Book a date online or through 311, wrap it if your city requires that, and put it out the night before. This is the correct answer for most people and the one most often overlooked. The catch is speed: in a city with a collection backlog the wait can run to months, so it is a poor fit for a move-out date. See how bulk pickup works for what to ask.

2. Retailer haul-away — free to $30

If you are buying a replacement, most retailers will take the old mattress on delivery. Arrange it when you order — delivery crews usually cannot add it on the day, and this is the single most common way people miss out on a free option.

Worth knowing: boxed online mattresses frequently do not include haul-away at all, because they arrive by parcel carrier rather than a delivery crew. Check before you buy if that matters.

3. Mattress recycling — free to $40

A mattress is roughly three-quarters recyclable. Steel springs go to scrap, foam becomes carpet underlay, wood is chipped, and fabric is repurposed. Dedicated recyclers typically charge $0–$40, and drop-off is free in the four stewardship states.

4. Give it away — free

If the mattress is clean and structurally sound, listing it free on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or Nextdoor often clears it within a day, and the person collecting does the lifting. This is consistently the most recommended answer in online discussions of the problem, and it is absent from most published guides.

Be straight in the listing about stains, sagging and age — a wasted trip creates a bad interaction and the item comes back to you. Do not do this at all if there is any bed-bug history.

5. Charity — free, but the bar is high

Goodwill does not accept mattresses at essentially any location. The Salvation Army sometimes does and will often collect free, but many chapters have stopped over bed bugs. Habitat ReStore generally declines them.

The underlying rule is resaleability — a stained or sagging mattress costs a charity money to dispose of. If yours is genuinely near-new, call your local branch directly rather than the national line.

6. Transfer station or landfill — $10–$30

Fast if you have a vehicle that fits it. Most facilities charge a flat per-mattress fee. Call ahead on two points: whether they accept mattresses at all, and their hours, which are often shorter than expected and rarely include Sundays. See what the dump charges.

7. Paid removal — $75–$175

Worth it when the mattress is above the ground floor, you have no vehicle, or you are clearing several items at once. See mattress removal cost for the full breakdown.

What to do when they refuse to take it

This is the situation most guides skip, and it is the one people actually get stuck in. Your hauler or your city has said no. The reason determines the fix.

Why it was refused	What actually fixes it
It wasn't wrapped	Buy a mattress disposal bag (a few dollars, any hardware store), rebook. This is the most common refusal and the easiest to fix.
You didn't book it	In most cities bulk collection is by appointment. Setting it out unbooked risks a fine and the item stays. Call 311.
You're over the item limit	A mattress and box spring usually count as two items. Split them across two collections, or take one yourself.
You're in an apartment building	Many cities cap free collection by building size and class larger buildings as commercial waste. That makes it your building manager's problem — ask them before assuming you have the service.
You rent, and it's not your service	Some cities restrict bulk pickup to the account holder. Your landlord may be able to book it when you cannot.
Your private hauler simply won't	Private waste contracts often exclude bulky items entirely. Your city's own program may still take it — these are separate services and people routinely assume they are the same one.
It's a rented dumpster	Most rental companies prohibit mattresses or surcharge them, because landfills price them separately. Check the contract before loading.

If every route above is genuinely closed, the two that remain are cutting it down yourself and paying someone. Both work. Neither requires anybody's permission.

Breaking it down yourself

Feasible, and genuinely useful if you have no vehicle and no collection service. It is also the only route that can pay you something back, because the spring unit is scrap steel.

What you need: a utility knife with spare blades, a hacksaw or bolt cutters, heavy gloves, eye protection, and contractor bags. Budget one to two hours.

Cut the fabric around the perimeter and peel the top and bottom panels off.
Pull out the foam, batting and padding. These go in regular waste in most areas, though volume may exceed your bin allowance — spread it across two collections if so.
Cut the wooden frame into manageable sections. A handsaw is enough; the timber is soft.
Cut or bend the steel spring unit down. This goes to a scrap yard, often for a small payment. It is the heaviest component and the only part with resale value.

Expect a significant mess — the internal batting gets everywhere, so work outside or on a tarpaulin. Wear the gloves and the eye protection: cut spring ends are under tension and genuinely dangerous, and this is the step where people get hurt.

A foam or memory-foam mattress has no spring unit and is much faster — it is essentially cutting a large block into bin-sized pieces. A pillow-top innerspring is the worst case.

Against a $20 transfer station fee this is rarely worth the time. Against a $150 removal quote it can be.

If there are bed bugs

This changes everything and is worth getting right:

Wrap it in plastic before moving it through your home, not after.
Label it clearly — many cities require this, and it is basic courtesy to whoever handles it next.
Do not donate it, sell it or give it away. This is the one situation where the free-listing route is off the table entirely.
Tell your hauler if you are paying for removal.
Check your city's procedure — many have a specific one.

Common questions

Will Goodwill take my mattress?

No. Essentially no Goodwill location accepts mattresses, box springs or bed frames — health regulations plus bed-bug risk. This is the single most common misconception about mattress disposal.

How long does bulk pickup actually take?

Anywhere from your next collection day to about three months, depending entirely on your city and its current backlog. Cities with no-appointment curbside collection are fastest; appointment systems in cities with staffing shortages are slowest. Call 311 and ask what the wait is right now rather than trusting the webpage, because the backlog is never published.

Can I put a mattress in a rented dumpster?

Usually not. Most rental companies list mattresses as prohibited or add a specific surcharge, because landfills price them separately.

Is it illegal to throw away a mattress?

It depends where you live. Several states ban them from landfill, and dumping one illegally is prosecuted everywhere — dumped mattresses are among the most commonly fined items, because a mattress is bulky enough to be noticed and often traceable. Using your city's proper channel is always legal and usually free.

What about the box spring?

Same rules, same routes. Two things differ: many cities count a mattress and box spring as two separate items against a bulk pickup limit, and a box spring is far easier to break down yourself — it is mostly a timber frame with a light wire grid, so a handsaw handles it in about twenty minutes.

Can I burn it?

No. Mattress foam releases genuinely toxic fumes, and open burning of household waste is illegal in most areas.

Municipal rules — particularly wrapping requirements and bulk pickup limits — vary by city and change without notice. State stewardship programs, their participating sites and their current fees also change; Bye Bye Mattress is authoritative for the four program states. California's retailer take-back requirement is summarized here in plain terms and is not legal advice. Always confirm with your city or the facility before you go. Last verified August 2026.