Mattress Disposal Cost in Washington, D.C.

Mattress Disposal in Washington: where the city stops and a hauler starts

The free route in Washington has hard edges, and they are the reason people end up paying: No more than seven items per appointment. More than seven means additional appointment dates.

Past those limits the city is not an option at all — not slower, not pricier, simply unavailable. That is the line a hauler exists for, and it is worth knowing exactly where it sits before you start carrying anything.

Collection in Washington is run by DC Department of Public Works (DPW). Below is what they will take, straight from their own rules — and where each route runs out.

Taking it to a drop-off yourself

Mattresses are accepted at Fort Totten Transfer Station, 4900 John McCormack Rd NE (1 site). No resident drop-off charge is published: the ID check at the gate is what qualifies you. The published fees, charged by material type and tonnage, are for licensed commercial haulers, who have to open an account with DPW on (202) 715-7570 first. Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 2 pm. Saturday, 7 am to 2 pm. Fort Totten is the only one open to residents — the Benning Road transfer station is closed until further notice. A DC driver's license. Without one, bring a photo ID from another state plus a utility bill from the last 30 days or a copy of your lease or deed, and the names on the two have to match. The load itself has to have come from inside the District, and staff can ask you to prove that as well. No cap is published on a resident load. Tires are the exception: four at most, and only on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 10 am and 2 pm. Passenger cars, passenger vans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, vans under 15 feet and rental vehicles within those categories are let in. Turned away at the gate: anything on commercial tags, plus sideboards, ladders, stake-bodies, cargo vans, rental trucks longer than 15 feet and tag-along trailers. A mattress that is not wrapped in plastic. Household hazardous waste, electronics and televisions are not taken here either — those go to DPW's special waste collection events.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-09. Source

Is there a free state recycling program?

Not in District of Columbia. Four states — California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island — fund mattress recycling with a fee collected when a new mattress is sold, which makes drop-off free there. There is no equivalent here, so the city routes above are the free options.

Booked bulky pickup

Large, bulky items from households that receive DPW collection — single-family homes and residential buildings of three or fewer living units. No more than seven items per appointment. More than seven means additional appointment dates. Book through DC 311 — call 311 or use 311.dc.gov. Items go out no earlier than 6:30 p.m. the day before and no later than 6 a.m. on the appointment day. Renovation material is refused outright: bricks, concrete, ceiling tiles, construction and demolition debris and dirt. Buildings of four or more units, condominiums and co-ops must use a private licensed hauler.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-03. Source