How to Dispose of a Mattress in San Diego, CA
Every way to get rid of a mattress in San Diego side by side — what each costs, how much it takes at once, and the condition that decides whether it is actually collected.
Every route out of San Diego, and what each one actually asks of you
Free and unconditional are not the same thing. Each of these routes costs nothing or costs something, and each one has a line it will not cross — the cap, the condition, or what it simply will not accept. Read down the last two columns before you carry anything downstairs.
| Route | What it costs | How much it takes | The condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curbside, regular collection day | — | No city bulky item collection is offered. | The City of San Diego does not run a bulky item or curbside pickup service, so a mattress left at the curb will not be collected. Your options are a drop-off or a private hauler. |
| Miramar Landfill Mattress Collection Site | Free — mattresses and box springs are accepted at no charge under the state Bye Bye Mattress program. | No drop-off limit on mattresses and box springs. | Items must not be severely damaged, wet, twisted, frozen, soiled, or infested with bedbugs. |
| 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. |
Putting it out with your regular trash in San Diego
The City of San Diego does not run a bulky item or curbside pickup service, so a mattress left at the curb will not be collected. Your options are a drop-off or a private hauler.
- How many items
- No city bulky item collection is offered.
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.
The other routes in San Diego, in full
The table above is the short version of each. These pages carry the whole rule — the hours, the proof, the caps and what gets turned away.
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 San Diego 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 San Diego →
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.
Getting rid of a mattress in San Diego — common questions
Does it cost anything to drop a mattress off in San Diego?
Free — mattresses and box springs are accepted at no charge under the state Bye Bye Mattress program.
How much can I take to the drop-off site in San Diego in one trip?
No drop-off limit on mattresses and box springs.
When is the San Diego drop-off site open?
Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What will the San Diego drop-off site turn away?
Items must not be severely damaged, wet, twisted, frozen, soiled, or infested with bedbugs.
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 San Diego
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