How to Recycle Mattresses
Mattresses, box springs, and foundations of every construction. Free take-back exists statewide in four states and essentially nowhere else, which is the single fact that decides what you do with one.
Quick answer
Where you live decides this. California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island run the Mattress Recycling Council's Bye Bye Mattress program, funded by a fee you already paid at purchase, with free drop-off at hundreds of sites. In the other 46 states there is no program, and your options are a paid hauler, a bulky-waste fee, or an independent recycler. Retailer haul-away is usually a paid add-on, not a courtesy. Before you go, confirm that a local recycling center accepts the material in its current condition.
- Recycling route
- Special handling
- Typical value
- No resale value, and a cost rather than a return. In program states the recycling fee was already paid at purchase, so drop-off is free. Elsewhere expect to pay a hauler, a bulky-waste fee, or roughly $20 to $50 at an independent recycler.
How to Prepare
- 1Check whether you are in California, Connecticut, Oregon, or Rhode Island, which decides everything else
- 2Look up a drop-off point through Bye Bye Mattress if you are in a program state
- 3Strip off all bedding, protectors, and encasements; those are not covered by the program
- 4Keep the mattress dry, since a soaked or frozen unit is refused almost everywhere
- 5Note any bedbug infestation, which changes acceptance in Connecticut and Rhode Island but not in California or Oregon
- 6Count the box spring separately, since the fee and the take-back are per unit
- 7Ask the retailer what haul-away costs before delivery day rather than after
Where to Recycle
- Bye Bye Mattress drop-off sites in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island
- Town transfer stations and public works yards in program states
- Municipal collection events, which run dozens of times a year in each program state
- Retailer haul-away at delivery, usually for a fee
- Independent mattress recyclers, which typically charge per unit
- Municipal bulky-waste pickup everywhere else
Special Instructions
All four programs are run by the Mattress Recycling Council under the Bye Bye Mattress brand, funded by a fee charged when you buy: $18.00 in California as of April 1, 2026, $19.50 in Connecticut as of October 1, 2026, $22.50 in Oregon, and $20.50 in Rhode Island. The fee is a separate line on the receipt, and you owe it whether or not you later recycle anything. Oregon is the newest program, operating since January 1, 2025. Condition rules differ by state. California and Oregon accept all mattresses and box springs regardless of condition, while Connecticut and Rhode Island ask you to call ahead about units that are heavily soiled, moldy, wet, frozen, or bedbug-infested, and fees may apply. Futons are accepted only in California, and crib mattresses only in Connecticut. Check the Mattress Recycling Council's current state guidance before drop-off.
Environmental Impact
MRC says up to 75 percent of a mattress can be recycled, which is a recyclability figure rather than an achieved recovery rate. The components have different fates. Innerspring and pocket coils are high-carbon steel with a real scrap market. Clean polyurethane foam is the component with a real market and goes to carpet padding manufacturers, who blend post-consumer mattress foam with post-industrial scrap, which is the same rebond stream that supplies carpet underlay. Memory foam and latex are the problem children: some padding manufacturers treat memory foam as a contaminant, and some scrap buyers treat latex as both a contaminant and a fire hazard at higher temperatures. Shoddy felt has already been recycled once and has little onward use. MRC reports collecting nearly 2 million mattresses a year across the four states, including 14.2 million in California since 2016, and states that more than 50,000 mattresses are discarded daily in the US, a figure it publishes without citing a primary source.
Sustainable Alternatives
- Book a paid junk hauler if you are outside the four program states
- Pay for retailer haul-away when a new mattress is delivered, confirming the price first
- Use municipal bulky-waste pickup, which may charge per item
- Search for an independent mattress recycler, which typically charges $20 to $50 per unit
- Cut a clean mattress apart yourself and take the steel to a scrap yard
Official guidance and resources
Accepted items and drop-off rules can vary by location. Check the destination before you go.
What’s Accepted
Accepted
- Innerspring mattresses, any size
- Memory foam and latex mattresses
- Hybrid mattresses with springs and foam
- Box springs and foundations, counted as separate units
- Any condition at all in California and Oregon
- Futon mattresses in California only
- Crib mattresses in Connecticut only
Not Accepted
- Mattresses used or bought outside the program state you are dropping off in
- Bedding, pillows, toppers, and protectors, which the program does not cover
- Air mattresses and inflatable sleeping surfaces
- Wet, frozen, moldy, or bedbug-infested units in Connecticut and Rhode Island (call first; fees may apply)
- Futon mattresses outside California, and crib mattresses outside Connecticut
- Hospital and medical mattresses, which need specialized disposal
Donation & Take‑Back Options
Estimated value: No resale value, and a cost rather than a return. In program states the recycling fee was already paid at purchase, so drop-off is free. Elsewhere expect to pay a hauler, a bulky-waste fee, or roughly $20 to $50 at an independent recycler.
FAQs
Can I get my mattress recycled for free?
Only in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island, where the Mattress Recycling Council runs statewide programs paid for by a fee added when mattresses are sold. Drop-off is free because you already paid. California has more than 240 permanent sites and says 99 percent of residents live within 15 miles of one; Connecticut has direct access in 157 communities; Rhode Island covers 37 of its 39 municipalities; Oregon has 27 sites plus collection events. Outside those four states the program does not operate at all.
Why can't I donate my used mattress?
The blanket claim that most states prohibit mattress donation is wrong. What actually exists in many states are sanitation laws governing the resale of used bedding, which is why charities either refuse mattresses or require them to be sanitized. Acceptance is set locally: Salvation Army's national list includes mattresses, while many Goodwill affiliates and Habitat ReStores refuse them outright. Call the specific location.
Will the store recycle my old mattress when they deliver the new one?
Only reliably in the four program states, where participating retailers feed into the stewardship program. Haul-away is also usually a paid service rather than a courtesy: Mattress Firm lists setup and haul-away at $109.99 and removes one old piece per piece purchased. Retailers refuse units that are wet, unsanitary, or infested. Outside the program states, no retailer we could verify commits to recycling what it collects, so treat it as likely landfill.
What actually gets made from a recycled mattress?
Steel coils go to scrap and become new steel. Clean polyurethane foam goes to carpet padding manufacturers, who blend post-consumer mattress foam with post-industrial scrap into bonded carpet cushion. Fibers become insulation and wiping cloths, and wooden foundation frames are chipped. Memory foam and latex are the weak links, since some processors treat them as contaminants.
What if my mattress has bedbugs?
It depends on the state. California and Oregon accept all mattresses and box springs regardless of condition. Connecticut and Rhode Island ask you to contact the drop-off site first if a unit is infested, heavily soiled, moldy, wet, or frozen, and fees may apply. Retailers will not haul away an infested mattress. Bag it before moving it so you do not seed the rest of your home or the truck.
Related recycling guides
- How to recycle Mattresses
- How to recycle Upholstered Furniture
- How to recycle Bed Linens & Towels
- How to recycle Memory Foam Mattresses
- How to recycle Innerspring Mattresses
- How to recycle Bed Frames & Headboards
- How to recycle Mattress Toppers & Pads
- How to recycle Metal Furniture
- How to recycle Glass Furniture
- How to recycle Wooden Furniture
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