How to Dispose of a Mattress

Updated 2026-10-23

A mattress is bulky, springy and hard to compact, so many trash services will not take one with regular garbage. You have five realistic options. Which one is cheapest depends on your state and your city.

1. Curbside bulky item pickup

Many cities and trash haulers pick up bulky items on request or on set days. Some include a few pickups a year in your trash bill. Others charge per item. Some require the mattress to be wrapped in plastic, which helps keep bedbugs from spreading in the truck. Call your city or hauler, or check their website, before you drag it to the curb.

2. Retailer take-back with a new mattress

Many stores offer to haul the old mattress away when they deliver a new one. In California this is required. The Mattress Recycling Council says California retailers must offer to take back your old mattress at no additional cost when they deliver a new one, though delivery or setup fees may still apply. A retailer may refuse a mattress that poses a health or safety risk. In other states, ask about take-back before you buy, since some stores charge for it.

3. State mattress recycling programs

California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island have mattress recycling laws. The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) runs the programs in those four states under the name Bye Bye Mattress. Residents can drop off mattresses and box springs at participating locations at no additional cost. MRC reports that its programs have recycled 17 million mattresses. The steel, foam, fiber and wood are recovered instead of buried.

Find a site with the locator on byebyemattress.com. Businesses may face unit limits and need an appointment. Check the state's list of accepted items before you go, since a wet or badly damaged mattress may be refused.

Outside the program states, MRC keeps a list of independent mattress recyclers across the country. Some charge a fee, but it is often lower than a landfill bulky item fee.

4. Landfill or transfer station

Most landfills and many transfer stations accept mattresses. Expect a per-item fee on top of the regular gate rate, because mattresses take up space and tangle in equipment. Some sites put them in a separate pile for recycling. Compare rates on our dump fees page and look for a site with public drop-off on the map.

If you haul it yourself, lay the mattress flat in the truck bed and strap it down at both ends. Mattresses lift like sails at highway speed. Our guide on how to secure a load shows how.

5. Donation

Donating works only for mattresses in very good condition. Many thrift stores do not accept used mattresses at all because of hygiene and bedbug concerns. Some furniture banks and shelters take clean mattresses with no stains or tears. Call first and expect to be turned down if the mattress is more than a few years old.

What not to do

• Do not leave a mattress on a vacant lot or next to a dumpster. That is illegal dumping in most places, and the cleanup bill can be traced back to you.
• Do not cut it up and spread it over weeks of trash bags unless your hauler allows it. Springs can jam collection equipment.
• Do not burn it. Foam and fabric give off toxic smoke.

Quick decision guide

• Buying a new mattress: ask for take-back at delivery.
• Living in California, Connecticut, Oregon or Rhode Island: use a Bye Bye Mattress drop-off site.
• Have a truck: compare a recycler and the nearest landfill or transfer station.
• No truck: book a bulky item pickup with your city or hauler.

Getting rid of a whole bedroom set or a garage full of furniture at once is usually cheaper as one load to a transfer station. See landfill vs. transfer station.

Sources: Mattress Recycling Council: Bye Bye Mattress, Mattress Recycling Council: California Program