9 weeks
between Large Item Pickups, on your regular collection weekday
5 + 10
large items plus extra bags per pickup, out by 6 a.m.
Free
separate appliance collection by appointment through 311 or 720-913-1311
Every route for a mattress in Denver, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Denver guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Denver, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Denver Large Item Pickup: mattresses
Free, with a step firstMattresses and box springs are accepted only if fully bagged or wrapped in plastic; an unwrapped one is skipped. Each piece counts as one of your 5 items.
Who qualifies: Homes served by Denver Solid Waste Management (the city trash service). Apartments, HOAs, and anyone with a private hauler are not eligible.
How to schedule: No appointment. Large Item Pickup comes about every 9 weeks on your regular collection weekday; the exact date shows as a Large Item Pickup entry in your address calendar at denvergov.org or the Denver Trash and Recycling app. Appliances are a separate free appointment program.
Limits: Up to 5 large items plus up to 10 extra trash bags per Large Item Pickup. A mattress and a box spring count as 2 items.
Set-out: Items at the curb by 6 a.m. on your Large Item date, visible, 2 feet from carts and obstacles. Mattresses and box springs must be fully bagged or wrapped. Furniture at the curb on any other day is illegal dumping in Denver and is fined.
Donation pickup in Denver (usable mattresses)
FreeDenver’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 Denver: 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 Denver: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Denver runs Large Item Pickup on an unusual 9-week rotating cycle, not monthly, not on-demand. Every household gets it automatically on their normal trash day with no appointment needed, capped at 5 large items plus 10 bags. The catch: if you need something gone faster than the next 9-week window, the city won’t help, and the exclusion list (electronics, Freon appliances, hazardous, construction debris) is long. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Denver rule for mattresses: Mattresses and box springs are accepted only if fully bagged or wrapped in plastic; an unwrapped one is skipped. Each piece counts as one of your 5 items.
Program basics: Up to 5 large items plus up to 10 extra trash bags per Large Item Pickup. A mattress and a box spring count as 2 items. Items at the curb by 6 a.m. on your Large Item date, visible, 2 feet from carts and obstacles. Mattresses and box springs must be fully bagged or wrapped. Furniture at the curb on any other day is illegal dumping in Denver and is fined.
What the city will not take: Appliances (separate free appointment), electronics (banned from Colorado landfills), tires and auto parts, construction debris, hazardous waste, hot tubs, stumps, dirt and sod, unbundled branches, and loose trash.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City and County of Denver: Appliance Collection (free, by appointment), City and County of Denver: Trash, Recycle, Compost schedules and Large Item Pickup, CBS Colorado: Denver moves Large Item Pickup to every nine weeks (January 2025). 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-week service, exceed the 5-item limit, or need items the city won’t take (electronics, Freon appliances, construction debris), LoadUp offers professional removal in Denver 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 Denver with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Denver proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Denver 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 Denver: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Denver pick up mattresses for free?
Yes, if fully bagged or wrapped. A mattress and box spring use 2 of your 5 slots.
Where can I donate a mattress in Denver?
Denver’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 Denver?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Denver starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who need same-week service, exceed the 5-item limit, or need items the city won’t take (electronics, Freon appliances, construction debris), LoadUp offers professional removal in Denver 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 Denver page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Denver guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
