6 a.m.
furniture out with regular trash on your collection day, no appointment
10
mattress or box spring pickups per household per year, by BOS:311 appointment
311
to schedule refrigerators, air conditioners, and CRT TVs
Every route for a mattress in Boston, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Boston guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Boston, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Boston curbside furniture and special item collection: mattresses
Free, with a BOS:311 appointmentMassachusetts banned mattresses from the trash in 2022, so Boston collects them only by BOS:311 appointment, up to 10 pieces per household per year, curbside by 6 a.m. on the appointment day. No futons or toppers. Larger buildings use a private mattress recycler.
Who qualifies: Properties that get City of Boston trash collection (generally 1 to 6 units). Larger buildings with private haulers handle their own; the city still collects special items by appointment for buildings it serves.
How to schedule: Furniture goes out with regular trash on your collection day, no appointment. Mattresses, box springs, refrigerators, air conditioners, and old-style TVs must be scheduled through BOS:311 (311.boston.gov, the app, or 617-635-4500).
Limits: Curbside mattress and box spring pickups are limited to 10 per household per calendar year. Special item appointments cover items containing Freon and cathode ray tubes.
Set-out: Curbside where your trash is collected, by 6 a.m. on your collection or appointment day and no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before. Items on private property are not collected, and unscheduled mattresses or appliances at the curb draw fines.
BOS:311 special item appointment: mattresses
Free, 10 per yearAppointment required; no futons or toppers.
Where: Curbside at your address, by appointment
How it works: Schedule at 311.boston.gov, in the BOS:311 app, or by calling 311 (617-635-4500). Items out by 6 a.m. on the appointment day, no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before.
Donation pickup in Boston (usable mattresses)
FreeBoston’s 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 (subject to program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
Items typically not accepted: 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. Always call before scheduling if you’re unsure, pickups that find unacceptable items will leave them behind.
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 Boston: 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 Boston: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Boston offers free curbside bulk pickup through BOS:311 for residential properties, furniture goes out with regular trash, while appliances and mattresses must be scheduled. Massachusetts state law (the MassDEP waste bans) makes special collection mandatory for Freon-containing appliances and CRT electronics, you can’t throw them in the trash. Boston also has the unique Patriots' Day collection delay in April that catches transplants off guard, and as of November 2022, clothing and textiles are banned from curbside trash statewide. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Boston rule for mattresses: Massachusetts banned mattresses from the trash in 2022, so Boston collects them only by BOS:311 appointment, up to 10 pieces per household per year, curbside by 6 a.m. on the appointment day. No futons or toppers. Larger buildings use a private mattress recycler.
Program basics: Curbside mattress and box spring pickups are limited to 10 per household per calendar year. Special item appointments cover items containing Freon and cathode ray tubes. Curbside where your trash is collected, by 6 a.m. on your collection or appointment day and no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before. Items on private property are not collected, and unscheduled mattresses or appliances at the curb draw fines.
What the city will not take: Mattresses, large appliances, TVs, textiles, batteries, and tires cannot go in the trash. Construction debris is not collected. Flat-screen electronics go to Zero Waste Day drop-offs under the Massachusetts electronics ban.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Boston Public Works: Trash (furniture, appliances, special item collection), City of Boston: Mattress Recycling, City of Boston: Trash and Recycling in Large Residential Buildings. 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 who need same-day service, have items beyond what curbside handles, or live in buildings without included bulk service, LoadUp offers professional removal in Boston with upfront pricing. 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 Boston with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Boston proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Boston 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 Boston: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Boston pick up mattresses for free?
Yes, free, but only with a BOS:311 appointment. Limit 10 per household per year.
Where can I donate a mattress in Boston?
Boston’s 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 (subject to program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
How much does paid mattress removal cost in Boston?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Boston starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who need same-day service, have items beyond what curbside handles, or live in buildings without included bulk service, LoadUp offers professional removal in Boston with upfront pricing. 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 Boston page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Boston guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
