12
free scheduled bulk pickups per household each year
8 cu yd
maximum per pickup, about a small room of furniture
7 p.m.
earliest set-out, the night before your collection day
$15
CHaRM Atlanta, $15 per twin or full piece, $18 per queen or king piece
Every route for a mattress in Atlanta, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Atlanta guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Atlanta, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
City of Atlanta scheduled bulk collection: mattresses
FreeMattresses and box springs are collected through the scheduled bulk program. The city's own definition says three or more mattresses is bulk, but even one should be scheduled so it is not treated as illegal dumping.
Who qualifies: Single-family homes with City of Atlanta sanitation service. Apartment and condo residents are served by their building's private hauler.
How to schedule: Schedule through the Solid Waste Services Collection Tool on atlantaga.gov, by messaging @ATL311 on social media, or by calling 404-546-0311. Pickup happens on your regular weekly collection day.
Limits: 12 free scheduled collections per household per year, up to 8 cubic yards each (about a small room of furniture). A 13th collection costs $336.38.
Set-out: Items go at the curb in front of the property, clear of power lines, branches, mailboxes, and cars. Set out no earlier than 7 p.m. the night before pickup. An early set-out can draw a citation. Cancel by 3 p.m. the day before if plans change.
CHaRM Atlanta (Live Thrive): mattresses
$15 per twin or full piece, $18 per queen or king pieceEach mattress and each box spring is charged separately. Must be dry, not heavily soiled or bug infested, and must have springs. No memory foam, futons, air mattresses, or crib mattresses.
Where: 1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
How it works: Appointment required, booked at livethrive.org. No cash; cards, Venmo, and Apple Pay only. A second location, CHaRM DeKalb, is at 1225 Columbia Dr in Decatur.
Donation pickup in Atlanta (usable mattresses)
FreeDonation programs are the right fit for items in usable condition. Most accept: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (some programs have stricter mattress rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most home goods.
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), 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.
Where: Launched in metro Atlanta in 2026 and onboarding its first partner organizations.
How to access: Ask a caseworker, housing counselor, or nonprofit you already work with to submit a request, or use the Get help page to be connected.
What’s covered: One free pickup per household. Mattresses, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service.
How it’s funded: LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates. The household pays nothing.
If you’re reading this, you probably need to get rid of something in Atlanta and you’re looking for the cheapest legitimate way to do it. This page covers every option, in order from free to paid, with what each one actually accepts and how to access it.
The Atlanta rule for mattresses: Mattresses and box springs are collected through the scheduled bulk program. The city's own definition says three or more mattresses is bulk, but even one should be scheduled so it is not treated as illegal dumping.
Program basics: 12 free scheduled collections per household per year, up to 8 cubic yards each (about a small room of furniture). A 13th collection costs $336.38. Items go at the curb in front of the property, clear of power lines, branches, mailboxes, and cars. Set out no earlier than 7 p.m. the night before pickup. An early set-out can draw a citation. Cancel by 3 p.m. the day before if plans change.
What the city will not take: The city will not collect auto parts (including tires), building or construction materials, items from evictions or vacant properties, or anything left by a contractor.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: ATL311 Bulk Collection Request (KB0011524), updated September 2026, City of Atlanta Public Works: Yard Trimmings, Live Thrive CHaRM: Items We Accept and fees. 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 offers professional removal with upfront pricing and same-week scheduling. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
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 Atlanta with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Atlanta proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Atlanta 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 Atlanta: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Atlanta pick up mattresses for free?
Yes. City sanitation customers can schedule a free bulk pickup for a mattress through ATL311. If you would rather recycle it, CHaRM takes spring mattresses for $15 to $18 each by appointment.
Where can I donate a mattress in Atlanta?
Donation programs are the right fit for items in usable condition. Most accept: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (some programs have stricter mattress rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most home goods.
How much does paid mattress removal cost in Atlanta?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Atlanta 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 offers professional removal with upfront pricing and same-week scheduling. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
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 Atlanta page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Atlanta guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
