The mattress is the one piece of junk nobody plans for. It shows up on moving day, the week the new bed arrives, or the morning after a guest room gets turned back into an office, and it never fits in the car.
Here is the short version of how to dispose of a mattress: if it is clean and dry, somebody may want it. If it is stained, sagging or has been in a basement, it is going to a landfill or a recycler, and the only question is who carries it there. Everything below sorts out which bucket yours lands in and what each route costs you in time.
This note covers the cities the Junkonauts crews run: Northwest Indiana, South Bend, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Milwaukee. The rules shift a little at each city line, and we call those out where it matters.
Start with the honest question: can anyone else use it?
A mattress has two possible futures. Reuse, or the end of the line. Deciding which one in the first five minutes saves you from hauling it twice.
Reuse is on the table when the mattress is less than about eight years old, has no stains, no odor, no tears, and has never been exposed to bed bugs. Most donation outlets will refuse anything short of that, and they are right to. Nobody wants to sleep on your allergies.
If it fails any of those tests, skip straight to the disposal options. You will save a trip to a donation dock that turns you away, which is the most common way a mattress ends up riding around in a pickup for two weeks.
Option one: put it out for bulk pickup
Most cities in our footprint will take a mattress at the curb, but only on specific days and only if you follow their rules. The rules are where people get burned.
In Indianapolis, mattresses and box springs are accepted on your district’s monthly heavy trash day, with a limit on how many large items go out at once. Items that are soaking wet or infested can be left behind. We wrote a whole note on Indianapolis heavy trash day because the rules trip people up every month.
In Milwaukee, a modest pile of bulky items (the city uses a queen mattress as its own example) can go at your regular collection point on your normal day with no appointment, and anything bigger than that becomes a paid special pickup. In Grand Rapids, a mattress needs a city bulk item sticker on it or it will sit there and you may get a violation notice; a mattress and box spring together count as one sticker. Kalamazoo households use private haulers, so the rules are whatever your hauler says. In Northwest Indiana and South Bend it varies by town, so check your own municipality before you drag anything to the street.
Two things to do no matter where you live. First, bag the mattress. Most haulers require it, and a clear plastic mattress bag costs a few dollars at any hardware store. Second, put it out the night before, not the morning of. Heavy trash trucks run early and do not come back.
Option two: recycle it
A mattress is mostly steel springs, foam, wood and fabric, and all of that can be pulled apart and reused. The Mattress Recycling Council reports it recycles about 2 million mattresses a year, but its statewide programs operate in California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island. None of our states have a mattress recycling law, so there is no free drop-off network here.
What you can do instead:
- Ask the retailer delivering your new mattress whether they take the old one. Many do for a fee, and some recycle rather than landfill.
- Search for a private mattress recycler in your metro. Indianapolis and Milwaukee each have options; smaller markets may not.
- Ask whichever junk removal crew you call where the mattress ends up. A crew that works with a recycler can route it there for you.
Be realistic about the odds. In most of the Midwest, a mattress that is not reusable is probably going to a landfill. Recycling is worth a phone call, not a week of your life.
Option three: donate it (if it clears the bar)
Donation only works for a clean mattress, and even then the list of takers is short. Thrift stores often decline mattresses outright because of bedbug liability. Furniture banks, shelters and some nonprofit resale stores are better bets, and many require a photo first.
Call ahead. Describe the mattress exactly as it is, stains and all. Ask whether they pick up or whether you need to bring it. Then show up when you said you would, because a mattress left outside a donation dock overnight gets rained on and becomes trash.
Option four: how to dispose of a mattress with a crew
This is the route when you do not have a truck, a free weekend, or a calendar that lines up with heavy trash day. A junk removal crew loads it from wherever it sits, including a third-floor walkup, and handles the disposal end.
What that looks like with Junkonauts: you book a window, the crew shows up, walks to the mattress, and sets the price at your door before anything moves. Mattresses often ride along with other items, so if there is also a box spring, a bed frame or a broken dresser, say so when you book. One trip is cheaper than two.
Here is where to start in each city:
- Mattress removal in Northwest Indiana
- Mattress removal in South Bend
- Mattress removal in Indianapolis
- Mattress removal in Grand Rapids
- Mattress removal in Kalamazoo
- Mattress removal in Milwaukee
The bed bug rule
If a mattress has or had bed bugs, it does not get donated, it does not get sold, and it does not go to the curb unbagged. Seal it in a mattress bag, mark it clearly so a neighbor does not drag it home, and tell whoever hauls it. Crews can take infested mattresses, but they need to know so it rides in the right spot on the truck and gets handled accordingly.
Same goes for mold. A mattress that spent a season in a damp basement is a disposal item, full stop.
What about the box spring and frame?
A box spring follows the mattress. Same rules, same destinations, and it usually counts as a separate item on heavy trash day, which matters when your city caps you at two.
Metal frames are different. They are scrap metal, which means most crews recycle them and a scrap yard will take them for free. Wood slat frames and platform beds break down and go out as bulk wood or ride on the truck with everything else.
A typical call
The pattern we see most often in spring: a family in a Granger or Carmel subdivision buys a new king, the old queen gets leaned in the garage “until heavy trash day,” and three months later it is still there, now with a lawn mower parked against it. The garage is the problem, not the mattress. When the crew comes for the mattress, the mower box, the old patio chairs and the busted cooler go too, and the garage comes back.
If that sounds familiar, our garage cleanout pages cover what that visit looks like.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put a mattress in the regular trash?
Not in the cart. A mattress is a bulk item and has to go out on a bulk or heavy trash day, through a scheduled bulky pickup, or with a hauler. Most cities also require it to be bagged in plastic before collection.
How do I dispose of a mattress for free?
Curbside bulk pickup is the usual free route if your city offers it and you can wait for the scheduled day. Donating a clean mattress is also free, though most outlets require a photo and will refuse stains or odors. Everything else, from retailer take-back to a junk crew, has a fee.
Will Goodwill or a thrift store take my mattress?
Usually not. Many thrift chains decline mattresses because of bedbug and sanitation liability. Furniture banks, shelters and some nonprofit resale stores accept clean, recent mattresses by appointment. Call first and be honest about the condition.
Do I have to wrap a mattress before putting it on the curb?
In most cities in our area, yes. A sealed plastic mattress bag protects the crew and keeps the mattress from being refused if it rains. Bags cost a few dollars at hardware stores and big box retailers.
Can a mattress be recycled?
Yes. Steel springs, foam, wood and fabric can all be separated and reused. Statewide recycling programs exist in California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island, not in Indiana, Michigan or Wisconsin, so here you need a private recycler, a retailer program or a crew that works with one.
What happens to a mattress a junk removal crew picks up?
It depends on condition and the crew. Clean mattresses may go to a donation partner. Everything else goes to a transfer station, a landfill or a recycler where one is available. Ask the crew directly where yours will end up.
How much does it cost to have a mattress hauled away?
Pricing depends on the city and what else is going on the truck. Junkonauts crews set the price at your door before anything is loaded, and a mattress almost always costs less per item when it rides along with other junk than when it is a solo trip.
Can I cut up a mattress and throw it away in pieces?
You can, but it is slow, messy work and the steel coils are sharp. Most people who try it give up halfway. If your goal is to avoid a bulk fee, a bagged mattress on heavy trash day is far easier.
Does the box spring count as a separate item?
On most heavy trash and bulk pickup programs, yes. A mattress and box spring are two items, which matters in cities like Indianapolis that cap the number of large items per monthly pickup.
What do I do with a mattress that had bed bugs?
Seal it in a mattress bag, mark it so nobody picks it up for reuse, and tell whoever collects it. Do not donate or sell it. Junk crews will take it, but they need to know in advance.
How do I get a mattress out of an apartment without a truck?
Book a crew. Junkonauts crews carry from inside the unit, down stairs and out to the truck, which is the part most people cannot do alone. Mention the floor and whether there is an elevator when you book.
When is the best time to get rid of an old mattress?
The day the new one arrives, or sooner. Every week a mattress sits in a garage or basement it collects moisture, dust and whatever else is stored next to it, and the reuse option gets further away.
Ready to get the mattress out of the garage?
Pick your city, tell the crew what else is going, and the price gets set at your door before anything lifts.
Or start at junkonauts.com and pick your mission site.
