Free Mattress Disposal in Los Angeles, CA
Which routes in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booked city collection | Free — no additional charge for city-serviced homes. | Unlimited. There is no cap on how many pickups you can book in a year. | Anything too big for your bins — furniture, mattresses, carpet, shelving, wood and yard trimmings. |
| California | Free for residents at participating sites. | — | The program does not include free household pickup. Scheduled container pickups exist only for businesses handling at least 100 mattresses a month. |
| 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. |
The California mattress recycling program
California runs a statewide mattress recycling program funded by a fee collected when a new mattress is sold. Because that fee is already paid, dropping an old mattress off costs residents nothing.
Drop off your old mattress at no additional cost at participating collection sites.
The program does not include free household pickup. Scheduled container pickups exist only for businesses handling at least 100 mattresses a month.
- What it costs
- Free for residents at participating sites.
- How much at a time
- Participating sites typically cap drop-offs at 3 units per vehicle per day.
Booking a city pickup
Anything too big for your bins — furniture, mattresses, carpet, shelving, wood and yard trimmings.
- How many items
- Unlimited. There is no cap on how many pickups you can book in a year.
- How to book
- Book on the MyLA311 app, at myla311.lacity.gov, by calling 311, or on 1-800-773-2489. Ask at least one business day before your normal collection day.
- What it costs
- Free — no additional charge for city-serviced homes.
- Good to know
- Have an itemised list ready when you book ("one mattress, two chairs, a desk") so the right sized truck is sent. Items go out for your regular trash day.
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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles →
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 Los Angeles — common questions
Is mattress recycling free in California?
Free for residents at participating sites. The program does not include free household pickup. Scheduled container pickups exist only for businesses handling at least 100 mattresses a month.
What does a bulk collection cost in Los Angeles?
Free — no additional charge for city-serviced homes.
How do I book a bulk pickup in Los Angeles?
Book on the MyLA311 app, at myla311.lacity.gov, by calling 311, or on 1-800-773-2489. Ask at least one business day before your normal collection day. Unlimited. There is no cap on how many pickups you can book in a year.
What needs an appointment in Los Angeles instead of going out with the trash?
Anything too big for your bins — furniture, mattresses, carpet, shelving, wood and yard trimmings.
Where and when do I put the items out in Los Angeles?
Have an itemised list ready when you book ("one mattress, two chairs, a desk") so the right sized truck is sent. Items go out for your regular trash day.
Where this comes from
Checked against official sources on 2026-08-19. City rules change — if something here does not match, the city page wins.
More on getting rid of stuff in Los Angeles
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