How to Get Rid of a Mattress on Long Island & NYC (The Legal Way)

Mattresses are one of the most annoying items to get rid of. They're heavy, floppy, won't fit in a car, and every town has different rules about curbside pickup. Here's a quick guide to doing it right in our service area.

New York City: the bagging rule

In Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, NYC sanitation requires mattresses and box springs to be sealed in a plastic mattress bag before curbside pickup. Put one out unbagged and you're looking at a fine starting around $100. Bags cost $5–$15 at hardware stores, and you'll need to schedule the pickup and wrestle the mattress downstairs and to the curb yourself.

Nassau & Suffolk County

Most Long Island towns collect mattresses on bulk pickup days, but schedules vary by town and some require advance booking or limit how many bulk items you can put out. Check your town's sanitation page — and be ready to get the mattress to the curb yourself.

Donation: only if it's clean

A gently used mattress in good condition can sometimes be donated, but most charities have strict rules — no stains, tears, or odors — and many no longer accept mattresses at all for hygiene reasons. Call ahead before loading one in a truck.

The zero-effort option

Snap a photo of the mattress where it sits — bedroom, basement, garage, anywhere. We'll text you a flat single-item price, carry it out (stairs included), and make sure it's recycled or donated when possible. Mattress recycling recovers the steel, foam and fibers instead of sending them to a landfill, and you never touch the thing.