How to get rid of a mattress in Sacramento, CA
Mattresses are accepted in Sacramento's free Household Junk Pickup. California also has a statewide mattress recycling program, Bye Bye Mattress, with free drop-off at participating locations, and retailers delivering a new mattress must offer to take back your old one.
- Cost
- Free (2 junk appointments a year, Feb to Oct)
- How
- Request through Sac311, the app, or 3-1-1
- Also free
- Retailer take-back and Bye Bye Mattress drop-off sites
Timing note (checked Oct 21, 2026): the City says free Household Junk appointments are not offered from mid-October through January because the same crews handle leaf season. Fee-based junk pickups may be available through City Utility Billing. Appliance pickups run year-round.
Option 1: City pickup (Household Junk Pickup and Appliance & E-Waste Pickup)
Who can use it
- For City of Sacramento residential collection customers, including tenants of single-family homes and duplexes.
- Tenants in buildings with 5 or more units that are not served by City collection should ask their landlord, property manager or hauler.
How to book
- Submit a service request at sac311.org, use the Sac311 app, or call 3-1-1 ((916) 264-5011).
- List exactly which items you will set out.
- Junk and appliances need separate appointments and will likely be picked up on different days.
- Cancel or reschedule by 5:00 p.m. two business days before. A no-show still counts as one of your free pickups.
- Used your free pickups, or need a junk pickup from November to January? Call City Utility Billing at (916) 808-5454. A special service pickup has a minimum fee of $39.48.
Mattress rules
- Mattresses and box springs are on the accepted list for Household Junk Pickup.
- Free junk appointments pause from mid-October through January for leaf season.
- Set it out no earlier than 24 hours before your appointment and by 6:00 a.m. that day.
Setting it out
- Set items out no earlier than 24 hours before your appointment, and by 6:00 a.m. that day. Early set-outs may be fined.
- Junk piles go on the public street, 6 feet from parked cars, not in an alley, driveway or on the curb, and must stay within 4 x 4 x 9 feet.
- Appliances go in the street, visible and easy to reach.
Fees and limits
- Two Household Junk appointments and two Appliance & E-Waste appointments per year are free.
- Extra or off-season junk pickups: minimum fee of $39.48 through City Utility Billing. Oversized piles may cost extra.