2
heavy trash items per household per month, no appointment
7 a.m.
out next to your cart on your heavy trash day
317-327-4622
Mayor's Action Center to arrange a Freon appliance pickup
Every route for a mattress in Indianapolis, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Indianapolis guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Indianapolis, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Indianapolis monthly heavy trash collection: mattresses
FreeMattresses and box springs are heavy trash. Lay them flat on the ground, not leaning on the cart or a pole. Each piece counts as one of your 2 items.
Who qualifies: Marion County homes with city (Indy DPW) trash service. Larger apartment complexes use private haulers.
How to schedule: No appointment. Once a month, on your heavy trash day (look it up at indy.gov with your address), set up to 2 heavy items next to your cart. Appliances with Freon are the exception: call the Mayor's Action Center at 317-327-4622 to arrange that pickup.
Limits: Two heavy or bulky items per household per month. A bundle of limbs 3 by 3 feet counts as one item; a bag counts as one item.
Set-out: Next to your trash cart at the curb by 7 a.m. on your heavy trash day. Mattresses flat on the ground, not leaning. Items that are not acceptable get tagged with an explanation.
Donation pickup in Indianapolis (usable mattresses)
FreeIndianapolis’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 Indianapolis: 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 Indianapolis: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Indianapolis takes an unusual approach: up to 2 heavy trash items per week, every week, on your regular trash day, no scheduling required. The system is consistent and predictable, but the 2-item cap is tight for big cleanouts. Indianapolis is also one of the very few major U.S. cities where curbside recycling is a paid subscription service, not automatically included with trash. Big change as of January 2026: LRS became the citywide trash collector for former Republic and WM service areas. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Indianapolis rule for mattresses: Mattresses and box springs are heavy trash. Lay them flat on the ground, not leaning on the cart or a pole. Each piece counts as one of your 2 items.
Program basics: Two heavy or bulky items per household per month. A bundle of limbs 3 by 3 feet counts as one item; a bag counts as one item. Next to your trash cart at the curb by 7 a.m. on your heavy trash day. Mattresses flat on the ground, not leaning. Items that are not acceptable get tagged with an explanation.
What the city will not take: Electronics (illegal in the trash under Indiana law), loose tires (illegal in landfills), construction debris, and household hazardous waste. Appliances with Freon need a separate arranged pickup.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: Indy.gov: Find Your Trash Pickup Day (heavy trash rules), Indy.gov: Trash Cart Transition FAQs (heavy trash accepted items), Indy.gov: Recycling 101 (electronics and tire laws, ToxDrop). 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, exceed the 2-heavy-items-per-week limit during a cleanout, can’t fit material in their weekly cart, or live in apartment buildings without included bulk service, LoadUp offers professional removal in Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Indianapolis proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Indianapolis pick up mattresses for free?
Yes, flat on the ground, each piece counting as one of your 2 monthly items.
Where can I donate a mattress in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis’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 Indianapolis?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Indianapolis 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, exceed the 2-heavy-items-per-week limit during a cleanout, can’t fit material in their weekly cart, or live in apartment buildings without included bulk service, LoadUp offers professional removal in Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Indianapolis guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
