1
bulk item per week on your second trash night, between 5 and 10 p.m.
$20
for a refrigerant appliance pickup by appointment at 610-437-8729 (other appliances free)
3 TVs
per year through the city's appointment-based electronics recycling, 1 per appointment
Every route for a mattress in Allentown, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Allentown guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Allentown, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Allentown second-night bulk item collection: mattresses
FreeMattresses are named bulk items, one per week.
Who qualifies: Residences with City of Allentown trash collection (twice-weekly service).
How to schedule: No appointment for one bulk item: on your second trash night of the week (Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday night zones) set out one bulk item, or up to 40 pounds of contained construction material, between 5 and 10 p.m. Appliances and large metal items are a separate scheduled pickup: call 610-437-8729, $20 for refrigerant appliances, free for others.
Limits: One bulk item (or 40 pounds of contained construction material) per week on the second collection night. Appliance pickups by appointment.
Set-out: At the curb in front of your property between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on your second collection night. Containers back within 12 hours.
Donation pickup in Allentown (usable mattresses)
FreeAllentown-area donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods. Habitat ReStore in particular focuses on home improvement items and accepts cabinets, doors, lighting fixtures, and building materials.
Items donation programs typically don’t accept: damaged or stained furniture, mattresses with bedbug history or significant wear, appliances that don’t work, particle-board furniture in poor condition, cribs (federal safety regulations have changed), tube-style or rear-projection TVs, and exercise equipment that requires reassembly.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in Allentown: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering mattresses, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in Allentown: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Allentown, Pennsylvania includes bulk item pickup as part of twice-weekly trash collection at no separate fee, on the second collection night of the week. Set-out is between 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM, with up to 5 bags or 2 containers per collection night for regular trash plus bulk items alongside on the second night. The city changed waste haulers on June 1, 2025: J.P. Mascaro & Sons replaced the prior contractor. Collection nights and core service rules stayed the same, but yard waste shifted from weekly April through November to every other week year-round. Electronics and document shredding are by appointment at the Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste, 641 S 10th St.
The Allentown rule for mattresses: Mattresses are named bulk items, one per week.
Program basics: One bulk item (or 40 pounds of contained construction material) per week on the second collection night. Appliance pickups by appointment. At the curb in front of your property between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on your second collection night. Containers back within 12 hours.
What the city will not take: TVs, computers, and electronics (never at the curb; appointment-based electronics recycling, 1 TV per appointment and 3 a year), tires, auto parts, batteries, liquid paint, and hazardous waste.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Allentown: Trash and Recycling rules (2025 limits), City of Allentown: Trash limits (bulk item and appliance recycling). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Why mattresses are different from ordinary bulk. Mattresses contain springs, foam, fabric, and wood, all recyclable individually but bonded together in a way that makes them hard to process. They’re also a notorious vector for bedbugs, which has led several cities to require plastic-wrapping before curbside pickup (NYC and Cleveland have explicit rules).
Three mistakes that get mattresses left at the curb:
When free options don’t fit your timeline or volume:
LoadUp paid mattress pickup
$80+For households not eligible for free programs, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Allentown area. Upfront pricing, same-week scheduling, and licensed disposal handled for you.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your mattress. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book mattress pickup in Allentown with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Allentown proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Allentown junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national mattress disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for Allentown: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Allentown pick up mattresses for free?
Yes, as your one weekly bulk item.
Where can I donate a mattress in Allentown?
Allentown-area donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods. Habitat ReStore in particular focuses on home improvement items and accepts cabinets, doors, lighting fixtures, and building materials.
How much does paid mattress removal cost in Allentown?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Allentown starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households not eligible for free programs, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Allentown area. Upfront pricing, same-week scheduling, and licensed disposal handled for you.
Can I just put a mattress in my regular trash?
No. Mattresses are too big for residential trash bins and are explicitly banned from regular trash collection in most U.S. cities. Connecticut, Rhode Island, California, and Oregon ban mattresses from landfills entirely under state law. Use one of the free or paid options above instead.
How much do paid mattress pickups cost?
Single mattress pickups typically range $80 to $200 depending on the service and your city. National services (LoadUp, 1-800-Got-Junk, College Hunks) cluster in the $80 to $130 range for one mattress. Local independent haulers can be cheaper ($50 to $100). Booking 2 mattresses together is often only marginally more expensive than booking 1, ask about bundled pricing.
What about box springs, are they treated the same?
Yes, box springs follow the same rules as mattresses in nearly every city, same pickup eligibility, same disposal channels, same bedbug-wrap requirements. State recycling programs (CT, RI, CA, OR) accept both. Most retailers haul both away together with new mattress delivery. King and queen splits typically count as 2 separate items, while single-piece box springs count as 1.
My mattress has bedbugs, what should I do?
Plastic-wrap the mattress fully before moving it (heavy-duty mattress disposal bags are sold at hardware stores for $5 to $15). Many cities require plastic-wrapping for ANY mattress disposal to prevent spreading bedbugs to other households along the route. Donation programs CANNOT accept mattresses with bedbug history. Use city bulk pickup (with proper plastic-wrapping) or paid hauler. Tell the hauler in advance, some services charge extra or refuse, while others handle bedbug mattresses routinely.
Is this Allentown page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Allentown guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
