0
city trash or bulky service; every home contracts a licensed hauler
N. 48th St
city transfer station takes furniture, appliances, and tires for posted fees
$5.25
per car tire at North 48th Street, limit 9, plus a vehicle fee
Posted fees
North 48th Street Solid Waste Management Facility, posted fees
Every route for a mattress in Lincoln, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Lincoln guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Lincoln, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Lincoln bulky item disposal: mattresses
Your hauler, for a feeYour hauler for a fee, or North 48th Street.
Who qualifies: Lincoln has no city trash collection. Every household contracts one of the city's licensed private haulers, and bulky pickups are arranged with that hauler for a fee.
How to schedule: Call your hauler to schedule a bulky pickup; fees vary. Self-haul option: the city's North 48th Street Solid Waste Management Facility (5101 N. 48th St) takes furniture, appliances, tires, and debris for posted fees. Lincoln Transfer Station fees include per-item charges for appliances and tires.
Limits: Set by your hauler. North 48th Street: loads covered and secured, trailers under 60 square feet; 9 tires per customer.
Set-out: Only on a date your hauler confirms.
North 48th Street Solid Waste Management Facility: mattresses
Posted feesSelf-haul.
Where: 5101 N. 48th St, Lincoln, NE 68504, 402-441-8104
How it works: Open to Lancaster County residents with covered, secured loads. Household trash, furniture, construction debris, appliances (refrigerated units carry a higher fee), tires ($5.25 per car tire, limit 9), used oil, and recyclables. Credit card, cash, or check.
Donation pickup in Lincoln (usable mattresses)
FreeDonation 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 Lincoln: 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 Lincoln: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Lincoln, Nebraska (#72 nationally) operates a unique waste management system: the City does NOT provide municipal trash collection. Lincoln residents are required to contract with one of 17+ licensed private haulers for waste service, with no city-assigned zones or collection days. Nebraska state law BANS yard waste from landfills April 1 through November 30, requiring all haulers to collect yard waste separately during this period and send it to composting facilities. The City’s Bluff Road Landfill (6001 Bluff Road) handles solid waste and yard waste composting with tipping fees of $52.09/ton for construction waste and $25.15/ton for yard waste. Some haulers like Husker Refuse include 1 free bulk item per month with service. This guide covers every disposal option for City of Lincoln residents.
The Lincoln rule for mattresses: Your hauler for a fee, or North 48th Street.
Program basics: Set by your hauler. North 48th Street: loads covered and secured, trailers under 60 square feet; 9 tires per customer. Only on a date your hauler confirms.
What the city will not take: Nothing is collected free citywide. Grass and leaves are banned from the trash April 1 to December 1.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Lincoln: Solid Waste Management facilities, City of Lincoln: Solid Waste and Recycling FAQ (tires, haulers). 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 Lincoln households needing in-home pickup, items beyond your hauler’s bulk policy, items the landfill won’t accept, or service when crew labor is needed (heavy items, multi-piece sets), LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Lincoln proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Lincoln 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 Lincoln: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does Lincoln pick up mattresses for free?
Your hauler, or North 48th Street.
Where can I donate a mattress in Lincoln?
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 Lincoln?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in Lincoln starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For Lincoln households needing in-home pickup, items beyond your hauler’s bulk policy, items the landfill won’t accept, or service when crew labor is needed (heavy items, multi-piece sets), LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Lincoln guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
