How to Get Rid of Old Mattress? 8 Options [2026]

The fastest way is curbside junk removal. Dropcurb picks up mattresses from your curb for $79, often same day. Move the mattress outside, book online in 60 seconds, and a local hauler takes it away — usually within hours.

Full-service companies like 1-800-GOT-JUNK send a crew inside your home to carry the mattress out. Their website lists mattress removal starting at $150 and going up to $400+ depending on your location and whether you bundle other items. Convenient if you physically cannot move it, but 2-3x the cost.

If you are not in a rush, free city bulk pickup is the cheapest route. Call 311 or visit your city waste department website to schedule. Wait times range from 2-8 weeks depending on your city and time of year. Spring cleaning season (March-May) has the longest waits.

Yes. Three free options exist.

City bulk pickup is available in most US cities. Call 311 to schedule, then leave the mattress at the curb on your pickup day. You typically get 1-4 free bulk pickups per year. Some cities (Denver, Austin, Portland) charge $15-25 for bulk pickup even through the city program.

Bye Bye Mattress runs free mattress recycling drop-off locations in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island. These states passed mattress stewardship laws requiring manufacturers to fund recycling. Visit byebyemattress.com to find your nearest drop-off. Over 2,000 locations are listed as of 2026.

Donation works if the mattress is in good condition — no stains, no rips, no bed bugs, and less than 8-10 years old. Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Salvation Army, and some local shelters accept mattress donations. Call ahead to confirm — many organizations stopped accepting mattresses after 2020 due to bed bug and hygiene concerns.

Curbside "free" listings on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist sometimes work. Post a photo and say "free, must pick up today." Results vary — clean mattresses in good condition get claimed within hours. Stained or old mattresses get no takers.

Mattress removal costs range from free to $400+ depending on the method.

• •Free: city bulk pickup (2-8 week wait), Bye Bye Mattress recycling (CA, CT, OR, RI only), donation pickup
• •$15-40: self-haul to a local transfer station or landfill (disposal fee varies by county)
• •$79: Dropcurb curbside pickup — flat rate, no hidden fees, same-day service
• •$80-150: LoadUp starts at $80 for couch but averages $143 per pickup according to their public pricing. Add $50-80 in service fees.
• •$150-400+: 1-800-GOT-JUNK sends a 2-person crew inside your home. No online pricing — they quote on-site based on truck space used.
• •$250-500: dumpster rental if you are clearing out an entire room or moving

The $79 curbside option hits the sweet spot between cost and speed for most people. You do the easy part (move it outside), and Dropcurb handles the rest.

Several places accept old mattresses if you can transport them yourself.

Your county transfer station or landfill accepts mattresses for a disposal fee of $15-40. Search "[your county] transfer station" to find hours and fees. Most are open Monday through Saturday.

Bye Bye Mattress recycling centers accept mattresses for free in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island. Find locations at byebyemattress.com. The Mattress Recycling Council reports that 80-90% of mattress components (steel springs, foam, fiber, wood) can be recycled.

Some mattress retailers accept old mattresses when delivering a new one. Mattress Firm offers free mattress removal with delivery purchases. Costco, Casper, and Purple do not offer haul-away.

Goodwill and Salvation Army generally do not accept mattresses due to hygiene policies. Habitat for Humanity ReStore is your best bet for donation — they accept clean mattresses in some locations with free pickup.

A queen mattress weighs 60-100 pounds and a king weighs 80-130 pounds. One person can move most mattresses with the right technique.

Stand the mattress on its side. This cuts the footprint in half and lets you guide it through doorways. Bend it slightly to navigate tight corners — innerspring and hybrid mattresses flex enough for hallways.

Use a mattress bag for protection and grip. You can buy one for $5-10 at Home Depot or any moving supply store. The plastic keeps it clean during transport and gives your hands something to grip.

Slide it down stairs — do not carry. Tip the mattress vertically, lean it against the stairway wall, and guide it down one step at a time. Gravity does the work.

For box springs, the same technique applies. A box spring is rigid, so it will not bend around corners. If it does not fit, some older box springs can be folded by cutting the fabric underneath and collapsing the frame (but this destroys it).

Once at the curb, lay it flat. If rain is expected, wrap it in plastic or a mattress bag. Wet mattresses are harder for haulers to handle and some services will refuse a soaked mattress.

Regular weekly trash collection will not take a mattress. It is classified as a bulky item and does not fit in standard trash cans or bags.

You cannot legally leave a mattress on the curb without scheduling pickup in most cities. Illegally dumped mattresses result in fines — Denver charges $150-999 for illegal dumping, and New York City fines $100 for the first offense.

The exception: if you disassemble the mattress. Cut it apart with a utility knife, separate the foam, fabric, and springs, and bag each material in standard trash bags. The steel springs go to scrap metal recycling. This is labor-intensive (30-60 minutes) but lets you use regular trash pickup.

Dumpsters rented from companies like Waste Management or Budget Dumpster do accept mattresses. But renting a dumpster for a single mattress ($250-500 for a 10-yard bin) makes no financial sense unless you are doing a larger cleanout.

Mattress Firm offers free mattress removal when you buy a new mattress and pay for delivery. The delivery crew carries out the old mattress when dropping off the new one. This only applies to delivery orders — if you pick up a mattress in-store, there is no removal option.

Other retailers vary. Costco does not offer haul-away. Casper and Purple include free shipping but no old mattress removal. Sleep Number offers removal for $49.99 with delivery. Ikea does not remove old mattresses.

If you bought your mattress online and it arrives in a box, you are on your own for the old one. That is where curbside removal services fill the gap.

Four states have mattress stewardship laws that fund free recycling programs as of 2026.

• •California: Bye Bye Mattress operates 300+ drop-off locations statewide. Free for all residents. Funded by a $10.50 recycling fee added to new mattress purchases.
• •Connecticut: 50+ drop-off locations. Same $10.50 fee structure.
• •Oregon: Launched in 2024. Growing network of drop-off locations across the state.
• •Rhode Island: Smallest program, focused on the Providence metro area.

All other states lack statewide mattress recycling programs. Some individual cities operate recycling — check with your local waste department. Without state mandates, mattress recycling costs $20-35 per unit, which is why most mattresses still end up in landfills.

The Mattress Recycling Council reports recycling over 17 million mattresses since the programs launched, diverting steel, foam, fiber, and wood from landfills.