Free Mattress Disposal in Houston, TX
Which routes in Houston are genuinely free, what each one caps you at, and the condition that gets a load left at the curb. Checked against the city and dated.
What is genuinely free in Houston, and what each free route requires
Free and unconditional are not the same thing. Every route below either costs nothing or costs something, and every one of them has a line it will not cross — a cap, a condition, or a load it will not take. The last two columns are where the free routes end.
| Route | What it costs | How much it takes | The condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curbside, regular collection day | — | Maximum 8 cubic yards per set-out, about the size of a minivan. Up to 4 cubic yards of resident-generated building material may be collected. | Mattresses and box springs are on the junk waste list and go out with heavy trash. |
| Residential Drop-Off Centers | Free. The city runs the centers as a free service on top of kerbside collection, so what limits a big clear-out here is how often you can come, not what it costs. | Four visits a month, one a week, and one vehicle per household unloading at a time. Furniture is capped at two large items such as couches. Tires: five a visit, ten a month. Contractor-type material — sheetrock, tile, shingles, lumber, carpet, plywood — is capped at four cubic yards, roughly eight contractor bags. Loose material has to be bagged, and you unload it yourself in under 20 minutes. | A current Texas-issued ID — driver's license, DPS ID, LTC or consulate ID — plus a current City of Houston utility bill or lease, and the address on the two has to match. If your primary home is outside Texas, bring a current property tax bill in the same name. For recycling alone the Texas ID is enough. Pickup trucks, and small trailers up to 10 feet with sideboards no higher than 4 feet. Turned away: U-Hauls, box trucks, sprinter vans, contractor vehicles and vans, dump trailers, trailers with inner compartments over 10 feet, propane trucks, and anything pulling a loaded truck bed and a trailer at once. Household garbage and food waste, TVs, truck and tractor-trailer tires, rocks, dirt, bricks and concrete, pallets, anything that has been burned, and liquids of every kind — paint, chemicals, pesticides, fertilizer, gasoline, acid. Tree stumps or limbs thicker than 9 inches are refused, and fencing, shelving and large toys have to be broken down first. |
| Hire a hauler | You pay — quotes come from local companies bidding against each other. | No item cap and no wrapping, residency or vehicle rule. | They carry it out; nothing has to reach the curb under its own steam. |
Putting it out with your regular trash in Houston
Mattresses and box springs are on the junk waste list and go out with heavy trash.
- How many items
- Maximum 8 cubic yards per set-out, about the size of a minivan. Up to 4 cubic yards of resident-generated building material may be collected.
- Good to know
- Heavy trash is collected every other month, alternating with tree waste. Junk waste months take household furniture such as couches, tables and dressers, carpet if it is secured or bundled, toilets, bicycles and toys, and appliances including stoves, washers, dryers and water heaters. Between collections the city points residents to its residential drop-off locations.
Free at Residential Drop-Off Centers — and what makes it stop being free
6 sites across Houston.
- What it costs
- Free. The city runs the centers as a free service on top of kerbside collection, so what limits a big clear-out here is how often you can come, not what it costs.
- What to bring
- A current Texas-issued ID — driver's license, DPS ID, LTC or consulate ID — plus a current City of Houston utility bill or lease, and the address on the two has to match. If your primary home is outside Texas, bring a current property tax bill in the same name. For recycling alone the Texas ID is enough.
- What they turn away
- Household garbage and food waste, TVs, truck and tractor-trailer tires, rocks, dirt, bricks and concrete, pallets, anything that has been burned, and liquids of every kind — paint, chemicals, pesticides, fertilizer, gasoline, acid. Tree stumps or limbs thicker than 9 inches are refused, and fencing, shelving and large toys have to be broken down first.
- Your vehicle
- Pickup trucks, and small trailers up to 10 feet with sideboards no higher than 4 feet. Turned away: U-Hauls, box trucks, sprinter vans, contractor vehicles and vans, dump trailers, trailers with inner compartments over 10 feet, propane trucks, and anything pulling a loaded truck bed and a trailer at once.
- How much at a time
- Four visits a month, one a week, and one vehicle per household unloading at a time. Furniture is capped at two large items such as couches. Tires: five a visit, ten a month. Contractor-type material — sheetrock, tile, shingles, lumber, carpet, plywood — is capped at four cubic yards, roughly eight contractor bags. Loose material has to be bagged, and you unload it yourself in under 20 minutes.
- Opening hours
- Tuesday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm. Closed Monday and Sunday. Get there at least 30 minutes before closing — that is the real cut-off for being unloaded.
Or have someone take it
City routes are cheap but slow, and they all assume you can get the item to the curb yourself. If it is upstairs, if it is heavy, or if you need it gone this week, a local pro is the faster answer.
Post the job free, and local pros in Houston bid on it. You pick the offer you like and pay your pro directly — JunkerClub takes no cut of the price.
See what mattress removal costs in Houston →
What people actually pay — measured, not estimated
A flat-rate national hauler charges $99–$119 to take one queen mattress — read off their own published breakdown, in Mission Viejo, CA (Orange County), Philadelphia, PA. It is not our price: JunkerClub does not set prices.
And a flat rate is only one company's number. When we put one real job out to bid, 12 local pros priced the same pile from the same photos: $225 to $1,250, median $525. Nobody else publishes this, because nobody else runs the auction.
What actually costs nothing in Houston — common questions
Will the trash collectors take a mattress in Houston?
Mattresses and box springs are on the junk waste list and go out with heavy trash.
Does it cost anything to drop a mattress off in Houston?
Free. The city runs the centers as a free service on top of kerbside collection, so what limits a big clear-out here is how often you can come, not what it costs.
What do I need to bring to the drop-off site in Houston?
A current Texas-issued ID — driver's license, DPS ID, LTC or consulate ID — plus a current City of Houston utility bill or lease, and the address on the two has to match. If your primary home is outside Texas, bring a current property tax bill in the same name. For recycling alone the Texas ID is enough.
Can I bring a truck or trailer to the Houston drop-off site?
Pickup trucks, and small trailers up to 10 feet with sideboards no higher than 4 feet. Turned away: U-Hauls, box trucks, sprinter vans, contractor vehicles and vans, dump trailers, trailers with inner compartments over 10 feet, propane trucks, and anything pulling a loaded truck bed and a trailer at once.
How many bulk items can I put out at once in Houston?
Maximum 8 cubic yards per set-out, about the size of a minivan. Up to 4 cubic yards of resident-generated building material may be collected.
What will the Houston drop-off site turn away?
Household garbage and food waste, TVs, truck and tractor-trailer tires, rocks, dirt, bricks and concrete, pallets, anything that has been burned, and liquids of every kind — paint, chemicals, pesticides, fertilizer, gasoline, acid. Tree stumps or limbs thicker than 9 inches are refused, and fencing, shelving and large toys have to be broken down first.
How much can I take to the drop-off site in Houston in one trip?
Four visits a month, one a week, and one vehicle per household unloading at a time. Furniture is capped at two large items such as couches. Tires: five a visit, ten a month. Contractor-type material — sheetrock, tile, shingles, lumber, carpet, plywood — is capped at four cubic yards, roughly eight contractor bags. Loose material has to be bagged, and you unload it yourself in under 20 minutes.
When is the Houston drop-off site open?
Tuesday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm. Closed Monday and Sunday. Get there at least 30 minutes before closing — that is the real cut-off for being unloaded.
Where this comes from
Checked against official sources on 2026-09-09. City rules change — if something here does not match, the city page wins.
More on getting rid of stuff in Houston
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