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How to dispose of a mattress in Orange County
The short answer to how to dispose of a mattress in Orange County: hand it to the store delivering your new one, drop it at a Bye Bye Mattress collection site, or book it on your city's bulky item pickup. A clean one can go to someone who will use it, the county landfills take the rest, and when none of that fits, mattress removal is a photo and a quote away.
How to dispose of a mattress for free in Orange County
Four of the six routes usually cost nothing extra, though the drop-off route needs a vehicle. Here is how they compare, as of November 2026:
| Route | What you pay | Works best when |
|---|---|---|
| Store take-back | No additional cost for the old one | A new mattress is being delivered |
| Bye Bye Mattress drop-off | No additional cost at participating locations | You have a truck or van |
| City bulky item pickup | Included with home trash service in many cities, up to a yearly limit | You can wait for a booked date |
| Giving it away | Nothing | It is clean and sound |
| County landfill | A $15 or $30 load fee plus $15 for a hard-to-handle item (fees through June 30, 2027) | It rides with other trash |
| Junk hauler | A quote for the job | It is upstairs, heavy or on a deadline |
Sources: Bye Bye Mattress: California; OC Waste & Recycling: landfill fees; City of Huntington Beach: residential trash information; City of Tustin: bulky items; City of Santa Ana: illegal dumping and bulky item pickup.
Mattress recycling in Orange County: finding a Bye Bye Mattress site
California's mattress recycling program goes by the name Bye Bye Mattress and is run by the Mattress Recycling Council. Its sites take mattresses, box springs and separate futon mattresses used in California at no additional cost, whatever their condition or age.
To find the nearest site:
- Open the program's California page and choose the household option.
- Enter your address in the drop-off search to list participating locations, with details such as hours and unit limits.
- Or browse the full directory of locations.
- Call the site before you load up to confirm hours and limits.
The lookup also flags city curbside programs that send mattresses to the program. One firm rule: never leave a mattress outside a closed site or beside a collection container. Mattress pads, toppers, pillows, sleeping bags, sofa beds, bed frames, crib mattresses and a mattress stripped of its padding do not qualify for the no-cost drop-off, though a site may take some of them on its own terms, so ask before you bring them.
Recycled units are taken apart so the steel, foam, fabric and wood can go into new products.
Sources: Bye Bye Mattress: California; Bye Bye Mattress: accepted and unaccepted items in California; Bye Bye Mattress: frequently asked questions.
Getting the store to take the old one
When you buy a mattress that will be delivered, California law makes the seller offer to take your old mattress back at no additional cost. That holds for online orders too, with a catch: the parcel carrier dropping off a boxed mattress will not take the old one on the same trip, so the retailer has up to 30 days to arrange a separate pickup, by its own crew or a company it hires.
- Ask how take-back works before you pay; each retailer sets its own procedure.
- Know that the store can turn down a mattress it judges contaminated and a risk to its workers, products or equipment. The recycling fee on your new purchase is not refunded if it does.
- Retailers may send what they collect to the state program, but the law does not require them to recycle it.
If a store will not honor the rule, Bye Bye Mattress takes complaints at info@byebyemattress.com or 1-855-229-1691. Keep your receipt.
Sources: Bye Bye Mattress: retailer pick-up FAQ; Bye Bye Mattress: California.
Mattress disposal through your city's bulky item pickup
Many Orange County cities include bulky item collection with home trash service, so the hauler that empties your carts will also collect a mattress on a booked date. Limits are counted per item, which means a mattress and its box spring often use up two. A few examples from city and hauler pages:
- Huntington Beach: mattresses are named on the eligible list. Homes with weekly cart service get 4 collections a year with Republic Services, up to 10 items each; call (714) 847-3581 at least 48 hours ahead.
- Tustin: the city's list of common bulky items includes mattress and box spring, and CR&R gives single-family homes up to 4 collections a year of up to 4 items each. Book at (714) 372-8272.
- Santa Ana: homes with curbside carts may schedule up to four bulky pickups a year at no charge, each up to four items, through Republic Services at (657) 467-6220. The city's list of accepted items names furniture and appliances, not mattresses, so confirm when you call.
Santa Ana also warns that leaving anything on the street, sidewalk or parkway is illegal unless a pickup is scheduled. Other cities and apartment rules are covered in our guide to bulky item pickup in Orange County.
Sources: City of Huntington Beach: residential trash information; City of Tustin: bulky items; City of Santa Ana: illegal dumping and bulky item pickup.
Can you donate a used mattress?
Sometimes, and the reason it is harder than donating a dresser is state law. California's home furnishings code says any "secondhand or used article that can be used for sleeping purposes shall be sanitized" before it is sold. Another section bars selling filthy or soiled bedding until its cover is cleaned or replaced and it goes through that sanitizing. Those rules govern the sale of used bedding, which is what a thrift store does with donated goods.
- Call a thrift store or charity first and ask whether it accepts used mattresses at all.
- Offer only one that is clean, dry, free of stains and pests, and still supportive.
- Giving a good mattress directly to a friend, relative or neighbor who wants it is the simplest reuse.
A sagging, stained or torn one belongs in the recycling program.
Sources: Bureau of Household Goods and Services: home furnishings laws and regulations, 2026.
Hauling it to an Orange County landfill yourself
Two county landfills take public loads: Olinda Alpha at 1942 Valencia Ave. in Brea (Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Prima Deshecha at 32250 Avenida La Pata in San Juan Capistrano (Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine is commercial-only.
The county answers the mattress question directly: "We do accept mattresses - however we recommend you contact a mattress recycler found at byebyemattress.com to ensure your mattress is recycled."
Fees effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027:
- $15.00 for a car, minivan or SUV load under 360 pounds.
- $30.00 for a pickup truck or van load under 880 pounds.
- An added $15.00 for hard-to-handle items longer than six feet, and the county names mattresses as an example.
Bring a driver's license or a current utility bill showing an Orange County address. Tie down and cover the load; the covered-load law applies to residents in their own cars too. See our page on Orange County landfills for more, and check the county's updates page before you drive.
Sources: OC Waste & Recycling: FAQs; OC Waste & Recycling: landfill fees; OC Waste & Recycling: landfills; OC Waste & Recycling: Frank R. Bowerman Landfill; OC Waste & Recycling: cover your load.
Wet, moldy, torn or bedbug mattresses
- Bye Bye Mattress: condition does not matter for California units, but call ahead if it is soaked or infested.
- The store: it may refuse a contaminated mattress. In that case the program's advice is to "contact your public works department or waste hauler to find out how to safely and properly dispose of a contaminated mattress."
- Donation: off the table for any of these.
For bedbugs, the EPA's advice is to make sure nobody else carries it home: mark it with spray paint as having bed bugs and have it picked up as soon as possible. The EPA also suggests ripping covers and pulling out stuffing, but a stripped mattress no longer qualifies for Bye Bye Mattress drop-off, so mark it rather than gut it if you plan to use the program.
A soaked mattress is heavy and drips, so let it drain, then wrap it in plastic before it goes in a vehicle.
Sources: Bye Bye Mattress: accepted and unaccepted items in California; Bye Bye Mattress: retailer pick-up FAQ; EPA: do-it-yourself bed bug control.
What not to do with an old mattress
Do not lean it against a dumpster, leave it in an alley or put it on the street with a sign offering it to whoever wants it. Bye Bye Mattress calls all three illegal dumping, even with good intentions, and notes that many communities impose penalties that may include large fines, vehicle seizure and incarceration.
Sources: Bye Bye Mattress: stop illegal dumping.
When paying a hauler beats the do-it-yourself routes
The routes above assume someone can lift it, haul it and wait. Hire help when:
- It is a king or a heavy hybrid on a second floor, or the stairs have a tight turn.
- You have no truck and the store is not delivering a new bed.
- Your city's pickups are used up for the year, or the date falls after your move-out or closing.
- There are several, or it is wet or infested and you would rather not carry it.
See mattress removal for how a pickup works, then send photos of the mattress and the path out through the quote form, or call (657) 822-0016. Whoever you hire, Bye Bye Mattress suggests asking for proof, like a receipt, that your items were handled properly.
Sources: Bye Bye Mattress: stop illegal dumping.
Questions people ask
Does a box spring count as a second item for bulky pickup?
Plan on it. City limits are written as a number of items, and a mattress, box spring and frame are three pieces. Ask when you book.
Will the store take my old mattress if I order a new one online?
It must offer to, but not on the same trip as the parcel delivery. The retailer arranges a separate pickup, so ask about its process before you check out.
Can a mattress go in my trash cart?
No. A mattress is a bulky item, so book a bulky pickup, take it to a drop-off site or have it hauled.
Related
Mattress removal
Old mattresses and box springs taken out of the bedroom and off your hands
Bulky item pickup in Orange County
How city bulky item pickup works in OC's largest cities
Orange County landfills
The county's three landfills: where they are and what they take
Furniture removal
Couches, sectionals, beds, dressers and office furniture carried out and hauled away
How to get rid of old furniture
Sell, donate, schedule a city pickup or hire a hauler
Get a quote for your junk removal
Send a few photos through the form or call (657) 822-0016, and tell us the city and where the items are.