How to Recycle Mattress Toppers & Pads
Mattress toppers and pads add a layer of memory foam, gel-infused foam, latex, or fiber fill on top of a mattress, usually 1 to 4 inches thick, sometimes with a waterproof or moisture-wicking cover. They're a different product from a mattress in the eyes of state recycling programs: the fee-funded mattress recycling in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island covers mattresses and box springs specifically, not toppers, pads, pillows, or other sleep products, according to the Bye Bye Mattress program's own FAQ.
Quick answer
Mattress toppers and pads aren't covered by the state mattress-recycling programs; Bye Bye Mattress covers mattresses and box springs only. Some individual drop-off sites take them anyway, but call first. Foam toppers aren't curbside recyclable, and most Goodwill locations don't accept them either, so a specialized foam or mattress recycler is the main option; otherwise it's the trash. Quilted fabric pads without foam can go to a textile-recycling bin.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Typical value
- Little to none; foam toppers have no scrap value the way steel mattress coils do.
- Donate / take-back
- Available
- 1Remove the topper or pad from the mattress