Under California’s mattress removal law, you have several free ways to get rid of an old mattress: drop it off at a participating recycler, schedule a bulky-item pickup with your city, or hand it to the retailer delivering your new one. Dumping it on the curb or in an alley without arrangements is a misdemeanor that starts at a $1,000 fine.
Free Ways To Get Rid of a Mattress in California
You have three legal options, and all of them cost nothing.
The Bye Bye Mattress program runs drop-off sites across the state. Enter your address at byebyemattress.com to find the closest one.1Bye Bye Mattress. Mattress Disposal in California Sites accept mattresses, box springs, and foundations from residents at no charge.
Many California cities pick up bulky items curbside on your regular collection day. In Los Angeles, you call LA Sanitation’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489 at least one business day ahead, or use the MyLA311 app to schedule the pickup.2City of Los Angeles. Bulky Item Collection Other cities run similar programs; check your local sanitation department for the number.
The third option is the one people forget: if you’re replacing the mattress, the retailer has to take the old one.
Renters, one caution. If you leave a mattress behind at move-out without arranging disposal, your landlord can deduct removal costs from your security deposit. Scheduling any of the free options above eliminates that risk.
The Retailer Must Take Your Old Mattress
California law requires mattress retailers to offer free take-back of your used mattress or box spring whenever they deliver a new one. Since January 1, 2021, that duty extends to online sellers that ship through common carriers, which used to be exempt. If your mattress arrived by freight, the retailer must offer to arrange pickup of the old one within 30 days of the delivery date.3Mattress Recycling Council. Retailer Take Back
There is one carve-out. A retailer or its delivery contractor can refuse a mattress that looks contaminated or poses a health risk to workers, equipment, or the new products on the truck. Short of that, the pickup is mandatory and free.
If a retailer tries to charge you or refuses to take the mattress without a health reason, that retailer is out of compliance with the program and cannot legally sell mattresses in California. Ask about the take-back before you buy so pickup gets scheduled with delivery.
The Recycling Fee You Already Paid
Every mattress, futon, and foundation sold in California carries a mandatory recycling fee at checkout. As of April 1, 2026, the fee is $18.00 per unit, up from $16.00, and it applies to both in-store and online purchases.4Mattress Recycling Council. 2026 California Mattress Recycling Fee Adjustment
That fee funds the Mattress Recycling Council’s statewide collection network under the Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling Act, which requires manufacturers to develop, finance, and implement a program to recover and recycle used mattresses in California with a goal of reaching the maximum feasible recovery rate.5California Legislative Information. California Code PRC 42985 – Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling Act In short, you’ve already paid for the drop-off site and the retailer pickup. Paying at checkout doesn’t relieve you of arranging proper disposal, but it does mean the free options exist when you need them.
Fines for Illegal Dumping
Leaving a mattress on the sidewalk, in an alley, or on vacant land without arranging pickup is illegal dumping under California Penal Code 374.3. In commercial quantities, it’s a misdemeanor, and the fines are mandatory and escalate with each conviction:
- First offense: up to six months in jail and a fine between $1,000 and $3,000
- Second offense: fine between $3,000 and $6,000
- Third or subsequent offense: fine between $6,000 and $10,000
Courts can also order violators to remove the waste they dumped or pay for its removal, and may require at least 12 hours of picking up waste in the community.6California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 374.3 – Illegal Dumping Local code enforcement handles smaller-scale dumping through citations, and law enforcement steps in once the conduct rises to criminal levels.
If You Want To Resell or Donate a Used Mattress
Reselling or donating is not the same as disposing, and different rules apply. Any secondhand bedding article that has been sanitized must carry a permanent label at least 3 by 3 inches, printed in English with the words “Secondhand Article” and “Sanitized” in capital letters no smaller than 3/8 of an inch, firmly attached and easy to find.7New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Section 1256 – Official Sanitization Label Requirements
If you go beyond sanitizing and actually alter the mattress for resale by replacing the ticking or filling, adding filling, or rebuilding it, California treats you as a renovator. Federal rules then treat you as a manufacturer, meaning the mattress has to pass the same open-flame flammability tests as a new one: peak heat release no higher than 200 kilowatts during a 30-minute burn test, and total heat release no higher than 15 megajoules in the first 10 minutes.8eCFR. 16 CFR Part 1633 – Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets Every mattress must also carry a permanent label showing the month and year of manufacture and the manufacturer’s location.9eCFR. 16 CFR Part 1632 – Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads
There are health reasons to think twice as well. A 2025 study commissioned by the Mattress Recycling Council found that six out of ten mattress samples tested above the bacterial threshold the CDC considers non-hygienic, and the EPA warns that bed bugs travel easily on used furniture and bedding.10US EPA. Protecting Your Home from Bed Bugs For most households, recycling the old mattress is simpler and safer than trying to pass it on.