How to get rid of a mattress

Old mattresses are hard to get rid of. Most donation stores will not take used ones, so your real options are city pickup, a drop-off site, a recycling program, or the store that sells you a new one.

Before you start

  • Most charity stores do not accept used mattresses or box springs. Do not leave one outside a donation box.
  • If you are buying a new mattress, ask the store if it will take the old one. In some states, like California, the law requires the delivering retailer to offer this at no extra cost.
  • If a mattress has bed bugs, ask your city how to wrap and label it before pickup.

Choose your city

Sources

Last checked Oct 21, 2026. We read each page below on that date.