5 + 2
bulky items per appointment, plus 2 metal appliances on a separate appliance appointment
6 p.m.
earliest set-out the night before your appointment
Free
electronics and household hazardous waste at city convenience centers and events
Every route for a mattress in Honolulu, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Honolulu guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Honolulu, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Honolulu bulky item appointment collection: mattresses
FreeMattresses and box springs are standard bulky items, each counting as one of your 5.
Who qualifies: All residential properties on Oahu with city refuse service, including each unit in multi-unit buildings (a property manager can schedule for the whole building instead).
How to schedule: Book at opala.org (or 808-768-3200, option 0). Single-family homes and individual units get up to 5 bulky items per appointment, and a separate appliance appointment for up to 2 metal appliances. Buildings scheduling as a whole get 20 items and 8 appliances. Free.
Limits: 5 bulky items per appointment, 2 metal appliances per separate appliance appointment. Crews collect only the items listed on the appointment.
Set-out: Curbside no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before your appointment, in place by the morning of the appointment. Bulky items at the curb outside an appointment date are illegal and fined.
Donation pickup in Honolulu (usable mattresses)
FreeO‘ahu 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 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 the program before scheduling.
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 Honolulu: 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 Honolulu: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Honolulu, Hawaii is unique in the U.S.: it’s the only Hawaii county providing free residential refuse collection, funded through property taxes rather than fees. The city operates a three-cart system (gray for weekly trash, blue for bi-weekly recyclables, green for bi-weekly green waste) and serves about 200,000 residential pickups per week across O‘ahu. Bulky item pickup has been appointment-only since July 1, 2020, scheduled online at honolulu.gov/opala or by calling (808) 768-3200. A new G.R.O.W. food waste program begins April 1, 2026 for selected areas. This guide covers every disposal option for City and County of Honolulu residents.
The Honolulu rule for mattresses: Mattresses and box springs are standard bulky items, each counting as one of your 5.
Program basics: 5 bulky items per appointment, 2 metal appliances per separate appliance appointment. Crews collect only the items listed on the appointment. Curbside no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before your appointment, in place by the morning of the appointment. Bulky items at the curb outside an appointment date are illegal and fined.
What the city will not take: Household hazardous waste, tires (banned from disposal; return them to a dealer), construction debris, and auto parts. Electronics go free to city convenience centers.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City and County of Honolulu ENV: Bulky Item Appointment Collection Service, Honolulu ENV: Bulky item appointment FAQ. 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 Honolulu households needing same-week or in-home pickup, items the city won’t accept, or service before the next available bulky appointment, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Honolulu area for upfront-priced pickup.
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 Honolulu with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Honolulu proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Honolulu 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 Honolulu: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Honolulu pick up mattresses for free?
Yes, free, with a bulky appointment.
Where can I donate a mattress in Honolulu?
O‘ahu 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 rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
How much does paid mattress removal cost in Honolulu?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Honolulu starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For Honolulu households needing same-week or in-home pickup, items the city won’t accept, or service before the next available bulky appointment, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Honolulu area for upfront-priced pickup.
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 Honolulu page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Honolulu guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
