The short answer
A used mattress can't really be donated, so your options narrow to two: DSNY curbside (free, but you bag it, carry it down, and wait) or full-service removal (flat by size, wrapped and carried down for you, same day). Selling rarely works, and self-hauling is only worth it if you're already renting a van. Here's all of it.
| Option | Cost | Effort | Reality |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSNY curbside (bagged) | Free | High — bag it & carry it down | Best free option |
| Donate | Free | — | Almost never accepted (used) |
| Sell | Free | High | Used mattresses barely sell |
| Rent a van & self-haul | ~$60–$150 + fees | High | Only if already renting |
| Junk removal | $111–$154 flat | None | Wrapped, carried down, same day |
Before you start: three things to check
- The condition. Stains, damp, odour, visible wear or any sign of bed bugs rules out donation and resale immediately — which, as you'll see below, covers most used mattresses.
- Your building's rules. Plenty of co-ops and rental buildings restrict when bulky items can use the service elevator or the loading bay, and some want notice first. Worth checking the house rules before you plan a day around it.
- Your collection day. Mattresses go out with trash, not recycling, so what you need is the trash-only day for your address.
1. DSNY curbside — free, if you bag it
DSNY collects mattresses and box springs as bulk on your regular trash-only day — not your recycling day — for free, as long as it's fully encased and sealed in a plastic mattress disposal bag. There's nothing to book: the city no longer offers large-item pickup appointments, so it simply goes out with your normal collection.
How to put a mattress out for DSNY
- Get a plastic mattress disposal bag big enough to cover the whole thing. It can be any colour except red or orange. The city doesn't supply them — hardware, moving and home stores do, for a few dollars.
- Slide the mattress all the way in and tape every seam shut. Partly covered doesn't count.
- Check which day is your trash-only collection day.
- Put it out after 8 PM the night before, and before midnight. (The 6 PM set-out time applies to waste in a lidded bin, which a mattress obviously can't go in.)
- Keep it out of the roadway and clear of the pedestrian path.
Why the bag isn't optional
It's a bed-bug control rule. An uncovered or partly covered mattress can be left exactly where you put it, and you can be ticketed for improper disposal: DSNY lists $50 for a first offence, $100 for a second and $200 for further offences, and puts the ceiling for getting mattress or box-spring disposal wrong at $300. A bag costs a few dollars.
How many can go out at once?
Up to six bulk items per collection day. Clearing one bedroom — mattress, box spring, frame — already uses three of them, so a whole apartment's worth has to be spread across several collection days.
The work is the same as any bulky item in NYC: you're bagging it and carrying it down to the curb yourself, then waiting for collection day. On a ground floor with time, it's the obvious choice — it's free. In a walk-up, the bagging-plus-carry-down is the entire hassle.
2. Donating — don't count on it
This surprises people: most charities and thrift stores will not take a used mattress. Health, safety, and bed-bug concerns mean Housing Works, Salvation Army, and similar generally decline them. If your mattress is nearly new and has lived under a protective cover its whole life, it's worth one phone call — but assume the answer is no and plan around it. (A bed frame, by contrast, often is donatable.)
3. Selling it — rarely worth the effort
Used mattresses have almost no resale market for the same reasons charities won't take them. You might give one away on a Buy Nothing group to someone who'll haul it themselves, which at least solves the carry-down — but expect few takers and a lot of messaging. For most worn mattresses, skip this.
4. Rent a van and self-haul
You can bag the mattress, rent a van (~$60–$150), and drive it to a transfer station that accepts mattresses (which charges by weight). It gives you same-day control, but it's the bagging, the lift, the drive, and the dump fee — and a mattress won't fit in a car. This really only makes sense if you're already renting a van for a move.
5. Full-service removal — wrapped, carried, gone
Paying means the bagging rule and the carry-down stop being your problem. A crew comes — same day if you book by 2 PM — wraps the mattress on the spot (no buying a bag), carries it down from any floor with no walk-up surcharge, and recycles it. JunkRabbit prices it flat by size, quoted from a photo before you book:
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Mattress — Twin | $111 |
| Mattress — Full / Double | $126 |
| Mattress — Queen | $139 |
| Mattress — King / Cal King | $154 |
| Box Spring | $124 |
| Mattress + Box Spring (set) | $192 |
| Bed Frame | $92 |
$75 minimum, NYC sales tax (8.875%) at checkout, recycling included. It's the only option where you don't buy a bag, lift a thing, or wait for collection day.
Send a photo and you'll have the exact figure before you book — size, access and anything else going out on the same trip all land in the one quote.
What about mattress recycling in NYC?
A mattress is mostly reclaimable material — steel springs, foam, fibre and timber — but it's worth being precise about what the city does with it. DSNY tells residents to set mattresses out on their trash day, not their recycling day, so a curbside set-out is a trash collection, not a recycling programme. New York State also has no mattress-recycling fee scheme of the kind California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island run.
So if where it ends up matters to you, the thing to do is ask whoever is collecting it. We route mattresses for recycling wherever a facility will take the material, and it's included in the flat price rather than billed as an extra.
Can you put a mattress in a dumpster in NYC?
Not without the owner's permission. A construction dumpster or a building's private container belongs to whoever rented it, and they pay by weight — so a mattress dropped in it becomes their bill, or your ticket. Many container firms exclude mattresses outright or charge separately for them, so if there's a skip on site for a renovation, ask the hauler before you use it.
Leaving one beside someone else's dumpster, on a vacant lot or outside a shop isn't a shortcut either — that's illegal dumping, and the penalties are a great deal steeper than the set-out fine.
So which should you pick?
- Ground floor, patient, don't mind bagging: DSNY curbside — free.
- Walk-up, a deadline, or you just don't want to deal with the bag: full-service removal.
- Nearly-new mattress under a cover: one call to a charity before you give up on donation.
- Already renting a van for a move: bag it and add it to the trip.
Whatever you choose, remember the rule that trips everyone up: bag it and seal it, or it isn't going anywhere via DSNY.
Mattress disposal in NYC: common questions
Can I leave a mattress on the curb in NYC?
Yes, provided it follows the DSNY rules: fully sealed in a plastic bag, out after 8 PM the night before your trash-only collection day, and clear of the roadway and the footpath.
Do I need to book a mattress pickup with DSNY?
No. Large-item pickup appointments are no longer offered. Put the mattress out with your normal bulk collection instead.
Do I have to wrap a mattress in plastic?
Yes. Mattresses and box springs have to be fully enclosed and securely sealed in plastic before DSNY will take them — any colour of bag except red or orange. It's a bed-bug control measure.
What happens if I put out an uncovered mattress?
It can be left at the curb, and you can be fined for improper disposal — $50 for a first offence, $100 for a second, $200 after that, up to a $300 ceiling for mattress and box-spring violations.
Can I put a mattress out on recycling day?
No. DSNY asks for mattresses and box springs on your trash-only day.
How many bulk items can I put out at once?
Up to six per collection day. Spread anything beyond that across more than one day.
Can I donate a used mattress in NYC?
Rarely. Most charities and thrift stores decline used mattresses on health and bed-bug grounds. If yours is nearly new and has been under a protective cover, it's worth one phone call first — but plan for a no.
How much does mattress removal cost in NYC?
Flat by size: twin $111, full $126, queen $139, king $154. A box spring is $124, a mattress and box spring together $192, and a bed frame $92. Wrapping, the carry-down from any floor and recycling are included, with a $75 minimum.