3
large items per household during your monthly bulk week, out by 6 a.m. Monday
BOAT-E
batteries, oil, appliances, tires, and electronics are recycled in the same week
1 load
pickup-truck load per visit at a city transfer station for residents
Every route for a mattress in St. Louis, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full St. Louis guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in St. Louis, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
St. Louis monthly bulk and BOAT-E pickup: mattresses
FreeMattresses are bulk items, each counting as one of your 3.
Who qualifies: Properties served by the City of St. Louis Refuse Division (city limits only; St. Louis County has separate trash districts).
How to schedule: No appointment. Once a month, during your region's bulk week (find it at stlouis-mo.gov/my-pickup or 314-622-4800), set up to 3 large items out by 6 a.m. Monday. BOAT-E items (batteries, oil, appliances, tires, electronics) are recycled during the same bulk week. Crews have the whole week; report misses to the Citizens' Service Bureau on Friday.
Limits: Up to 3 large items per household per month. City residents can also bring one pickup-truck load to a city transfer station.
Set-out: Roll-cart homes: at the curb in front of the house. Alley-dumpster homes: in the alley directly behind the house, away from the dumpster, not blocking the alley. Never in or next to the trash container.
Donation pickup in St. Louis (usable mattresses)
FreeSt. Louis’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 St. Louis: 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 St. Louis: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
St. Louis residents have a generous combination of free services: monthly bulk pickup organized by region, plus 12 free loads per year at the city’s two transfer stations. This page walks through every option in order from free to paid, with the specific rules that apply in St. Louis City.
The St. Louis rule for mattresses: Mattresses are bulk items, each counting as one of your 3.
Program basics: Up to 3 large items per household per month. City residents can also bring one pickup-truck load to a city transfer station. Roll-cart homes: at the curb in front of the house. Alley-dumpster homes: in the alley directly behind the house, away from the dumpster, not blocking the alley. Never in or next to the trash container.
What the city will not take: Railroad ties, construction and remodeling debris (transfer station), household hazardous waste, and regular trash mixed with bulk.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of St. Louis Refuse Division: Bulk and BOAT-E item pickup, City of St. Louis: Residential Collection overview. 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 can’t wait for monthly bulk Monday or have construction debris not accepted by city services, LoadUp offers professional removal in St. Louis 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 St. Louis with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside St. Louis proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete St. Louis 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 St. Louis: couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring, dishwasher.
Does St. Louis pick up mattresses for free?
Yes, during your bulk week.
Where can I donate a mattress in St. Louis?
St. Louis’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 St. Louis?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single mattress pickup in St. Louis starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who can’t wait for monthly bulk Monday or have construction debris not accepted by city services, LoadUp offers professional removal in St. Louis 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 St. Louis page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full St. Louis guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
