Generally, no. Putting an old mattress into a standard commercial or apartment dumpster is usually prohibited. Mattresses are bulky, damage compactor machinery, and are often banned from landfills entirely. Tossing one can result in illegal dumping fines.
In some cities, mattresses and box springs are not allowed in dumpsters or will incur an additional disposal fee. Call our team to learn more about accepted materials in your area.
To take a lot of the effort and stress out of getting rid of your old mattress, you could arrange for it to be collected.
Here's the short answer: You can recycle or dispose of your mattress by reaching out to a mattress retailer or local Bye Bye Mattress program, contacting your town's public works department, scheduling a bulk waste pickup or donating it if it's in good condition.
To dispose of a mattress in Wichita, KS, you can drop it off at a local landfill, hire a junk removal service, or call your private trash hauler for a bulk item pickup.
If you have a pickup truck or hire a hauler, mattresses and box springs can be taken to Brooks Landfill, 4100 N West Street, that charges $20 per mattress/box spring. Call 316-350-3225 with any questions regarding Brooks Landfill's hours of operation.
Council bulky waste collection
Another easy option is to dispose of a mattress through your local council's bulky waste collection service.
It just so happens that mattresses are among the most difficult household items to recycle. They often contain toxic chemicals to guard against fire, are large and bulky, and have inner springs that can easily damage recycling machines.
Mattresses are hard to dispose of because they resist compression, take up space and let toxic chemicals seep back up to the surface of the landfill. To make things worse, the springs in the mattresses often get tangled in the equipment parts and cause serious damage to the machinery.
Yes you can cut a mattress in half, by cutting through the outer material with scissors, cutting through the comfort layers with a sharp cutter, cutting through the springs with hard wire cutters, then folding down the sharp edges with pliers. Just ensure it's not fiberglass before you cut it.
Donating a mattress can keep reusable items out of the landfill and help a neighbor in need, but the process is rarely simple or fast.
Cost: £10-£30 per mattress (some councils offer free collection) How it works: Book online or phone your local council. Timeframe: Usually collected within 1-2 weeks. Environmental impact: Many councils now recycle collected mattresses.
A common error is assuming that any disposal method will suffice, leading some people to leave their old mattresses on curbsides. This not only causes an eyesore but may also violate community guidelines.
Your waste management company will likely not pick up a mattress you leave on the curb with the rest of your trash. It's a bulky, heavy item that requires more than one person to lift into the truck, taking more manpower and space.
Goodwill Mattress FAQ
Generally, no. Most Goodwill locations will not pick up mattresses for free and many will not accept them at all due to sanitation and bed bug concerns. Some branches charge a fee through partner services, and a few offer free drop-off recycling, but that is not the norm nationwide.
Several types of materials should not go into a dumpster and require alternative disposal methods.
The average cost of mattress removal is $20 to $150, depending on the mattress size and type of service. Many trash companies can pick up large items from your bins for a fee. Some retailers charge $40 to $150 to haul away your old mattress when you buy a new one.
Stuffed items such as cushions, pillows and duvets should not be put in your refuse or recycling containers.
Junk removal prices in Wichita, KS, typically range from $60 to over $800, with minimum service fees often starting around $60–$99. The average cost for bulk pickup is $250-$450, while a full truckload typically costs between $533 and $800. Prices are generally based on volume (how much space items take up in the truck) and include labor, transportation, and disposal.
Most County waste haulers providing residential trash collection services in the County unincorporated areas, and both Garbage Disposal Districts and Residential Franchise areas provide free bulky item pickup services (e.g., mattresses, furniture, appliances, etc.).
Dumps allowed leachate to soak into the ground and contaminate the groundwater. Landfill liners prevent leachate from passing into groundwater. Modern landfills have leachate collection systems and the leachate is transported to treatment plants where clean water is produced and pollutants are removed.
While a bad mattress doesn't typically cause sciatica directly, it can heavily trigger or exacerbate underlying sciatic nerve compression. An unsupportive or sagging mattress pulls your spine out of alignment, putting direct pressure on nerve roots in the lower back and worsening leg pain.
To fold a mattress for disposal, only attempt this with an all-foam or memory foam mattress, as bending an innerspring will permanently damage it. Fold the mattress in half width-wise (sleeping side facing inward), compress the air out, and secure it tightly with ratchet straps or heavy-duty rope.
To cut up a mattress for disposal, use a utility knife or box cutter for fabric and foam, combined with bolt cutters or wire cutters for inner springs. A serrated bread knife or electric carving knife works best for thick memory foam, while a reciprocating saw can speed up cutting through wood frames.