Denver Junk Removal · Resource Center
How to Dispose of a Mattress in Denver
A mattress is one of the hardest things to get rid of — it won’t fit in your cart, most charities won’t take a used one, and Denver makes you wrap it in plastic and wait. Here’s every option, honestly ranked.
Old mattresses are awkward, heavy, and weirdly hard to dispose of. A queen runs 70 to 110 pounds, it won’t fold into a trash cart, and — surprise — you can’t just donate it or leave it at the curb. Here’s exactly how to get rid of one in Denver, from the free-but-slow city route to the fastest option.
Your options, ranked
| Option | Cost | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Same-day junk pickup | Flat fee | Easiest — a crew carries it out. No wrapping, no waiting, works for upstairs or bed-bug beds. |
| Denver Large Item Pickup | Free | Takes mattresses & box springs, but they must be bagged and wrapped, and it runs only every 9 weeks (city-serviced homes only). |
| Spring Back recycling | $40/piece | A real Denver-area recycler — but you haul it to Commerce City and pay per piece. |
| Landfill self-haul | Tip fee | Needs a truck; it gets buried, not recycled. |
| Donate it | Free | Usually a dead end — most charities reject used mattresses (see below). |
Denver’s Large Item Pickup does collect mattresses and box springs for free — but the city’s own rule is that they “must be bagged and wrapped.” It runs only once every nine weeks on your normal trash day, caps you at five large items, and is available only to single-family homes on Denver city trash service (not apartments, condos, or private-hauler addresses). Set it out unwrapped or off-schedule and it won’t get taken.
Don’t want to wrap it and wait nine weeks?
Where to recycle a mattress in Denver
Recycling is possible here — just not free. The main option is Spring Back Colorado, a nonprofit mattress recycler at 4975 Pontiac St, Commerce City that breaks mattresses down and employs people facing barriers to work. No appointment needed for drop-off; they charge about $40 per piece for any size mattress or box spring (more for bed-bug, water, or air beds), and they divert over 100,000 mattresses from landfills a year.
You may have heard of “Bye Bye Mattress,” the free recycling program funded by a fee at purchase. It only operates in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island — Colorado is not one of them. Here, recycling means a private operator like Spring Back and a per-piece fee.
The bed-bug (or badly stained) mattress problem
If the mattress has bed bugs or is heavily soiled, donation and standard recycling are off the table — a single infested mattress can spread through a warehouse. The right move is disposal-only, and the EPA’s guidance is to wrap it in plastic before you move it and mark it “Bed Bugs” so no one salvages it from the curb. Denver already requires mattresses to be bagged and wrapped, so that step is mandatory here regardless.
Can you donate a used mattress?
Usually not. Most Goodwill and Salvation Army locations refuse used mattresses because state health codes bar reselling unsanitized bedding and the bed-bug risk is too high. Only a genuinely like-new mattress has a shot, and only at select furniture banks — call ahead before you load it up.
How to wrap a mattress for disposal
- Get a mattress disposal bag. A heavy plastic mattress bag runs about $10–$15 at a hardware store — wrapping is required for Denver pickup and smart for any move.
- Seal it and tape it shut so it stays dry and, if there’s any pest concern, contained.
- Get a hand. A queen is 70–110+ pounds and floppy — it’s a two-person carry, more when it’s wet.
What happens when a mattress is recycled
A mattress is more recyclable than it looks. According to the Mattress Recycling Council, up to 75% of a mattress can be recycled: the innerspring steel becomes scrap metal, the foam (including memory foam) is shredded into carpet padding, and the box spring wood becomes mulch or fuel pellets. The problem is scale — nationally, most mattresses are still buried.
Mattress disposal FAQs
How do you dispose of a mattress in Denver?
Four ways: free city Large Item Pickup (every nine weeks, must be bagged and wrapped), drop-off recycling at Spring Back Colorado for about $40 a piece, self-haul to the landfill, or a same-day junk-removal pickup that carries it out for you.
Does Denver take mattresses in the trash?
Yes, through Large Item Pickup — Denver collects mattresses and box springs for free, but they must be bagged and wrapped, you’re capped at five large items, and it runs only once every nine weeks for homes on city trash service.
Where can I recycle a mattress in Denver?
Spring Back Colorado at 4975 Pontiac St in Commerce City recycles any mattress or box spring for about $40 per piece, no appointment needed for drop-off. Colorado has no free state recycling program — the Bye Bye Mattress program only covers California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
Can you donate a used mattress?
Usually no. Most Goodwill and Salvation Army locations refuse used mattresses because health codes bar reselling unsanitized bedding and bed bugs are a serious risk. Only a like-new mattress may qualify at select furniture banks.
How much does mattress removal cost in Denver?
It’s free through city pickup if you can wrap it and wait nine weeks, about $40 a piece to recycle at Spring Back, or a flat pickup fee for same-day junk removal that does all the lifting and hauling for you.
Skip the wrapping and the wait
Same-day mattress removal across the Denver metro — we carry it out, no plastic bag or nine-week window required, and recycle or donate what we can. Free quote, flat price up front.