How do I dispose of a mattress in Virginia?

A mattress is too big for the weekly trash truck in most of Virginia, so it leaves one of four ways: with the crew delivering your new one, on a scheduled bulk pickup, in your own truck to a drop-off site, or with a hired hauler. Which is easiest depends on where you live, the shape the mattress is in, and how soon it has to go.

Can someone still use it?

A clean, unstained mattress with no rips or broken springs may have a second life. The Salvation Army lists mattresses among the unbroken furniture its thrift stores generally accept, but says what it takes varies by location and asks donors to call 800-SA-TRUCK first.^[1] Call before you load it, and describe it honestly.

Check for bed bugs before it goes anywhere: look along the seams, piping and tags for live bugs, shed skins and dark spots. How to check a mattress for bed bugs walks through it. If you throw out a mattress that has bed bugs, the EPA says to slash or in some way destroy it so that no one else takes it and gets bed bugs.^[2] The same EPA guidance warns that throwing things out may spread bed bugs to other people's homes, and that most belongings can be treated and saved.^[2] Wrap an infested mattress before you carry it through the house.

Ask the store first

If you are buying a new mattress, haul-away is usually the least work, because the old one leaves as the new one comes in. Mattress Warehouse charges $29.99 per piece to remove and recycle an old mattress or box spring during delivery, the removal has to be added before the delivery date, and its crews will not take a stained mattress because of the biohazard risk.^[3] That is the price we saw when we checked on October 27, 2026. Will a mattress store take away my old mattress covers what to ask before you buy.

Book a bulk pickup

If no store is taking it, find out who collects your trash: your county, city or town, an HOA contract, or a private company you pay. The rules differ a lot from place to place.

• Fairfax County. In Fairfax County, county collection customers get five free special collections per fiscal year, July 1 to June 30, scheduled in advance, and a mattress and box spring is on the accepted bulk list.^[4] Items must be no longer than 6 feet and set out by 6 a.m. on collection day.^[4] About 90 percent of Fairfax County residents and businesses get trash service from a private company and need to call that company instead.^[4]
• Chesapeake. Chesapeake lists a mattress or box spring as a bulk household item.^[6] Request the collection by phone at 757-382-2489 by 5 p.m. the work day before your collection day, or online by 11:59 p.m. the day before.^[6] Bulk items can go out no earlier than three work days before collection, as close to the curb as possible and 3 feet from mailboxes, poles and containers, and household bulk collections are limited to 12 a year.^[6]
• Richmond. Richmond collects bulk items every other week, on your trash day during your recycling week, and asks you to set them out the night before beside your trash cans.^[7] Its bulk page does not name mattresses, so confirm with 3-1-1 before you set one out.^[7]
• Everywhere else. Look up your locality's bulk or special pickup page, or call your hauler or HOA. If the truck keeps leaving it behind, why won't the trash company take bulky items explains the usual reasons.

Or drop it off yourself

With a pickup truck or trailer, a drop-off site is often the fastest route, and the fees are small.

• Chesterfield County. Chesterfield County's two convenience centers, on Warbro Road in Midlothian and Landfill Drive in Chester, serve county residents with proof of residency, and are open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.^[8] With fees that took effect July 1, 2026, the disposal fee for a mattress is $9, identification is required, and there is an annual limit of three mattress sets per household.^[8] There is no extra fee when the mattress comes in with residential household waste.^[8]
• Fairfax County. Fairfax County's residential disposal fees for July 2026 to June 2027 list $17 for a mattress and box spring.^[5]
• Montgomery County. The Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority in Montgomery County takes mattresses and other bulky waste at $76 per ton, as listed when we checked on October 27, 2026.^[9]
• Richmond. Richmond residents can also take bulk items themselves to the East Richmond Road Convenience Center at 3800 East Richmond Road or the Hopkins Road Transfer Station at 3520 North Hopkins Road.^[7]

Some drop-off sites serve residents only, so bring a driver's licence or a utility bill. Tie the load down well. Virginia law says no vehicle may be driven on a highway unless it is loaded so its contents cannot drop or otherwise escape.^[10] A mattress catches wind like a sail at highway speed, so lay it flat and run at least two straps across it, not one.

Getting it out of the house

Strip off the sheets, pad and protector first. A plastic mattress bag from a moving or hardware store keeps dust, stains and anything living in the mattress off your walls and stairs, and gives you something to grip. Carry it on its long edge with one person at each end, wear gloves and closed shoes, and take the stairs slowly. A foam mattress bends around tight corners; an innerspring one bends a little; a box spring does not bend at all, so measure stair turns and doorways before you start.

Can it be recycled?

Some mattresses are. Mattress Warehouse sends the mattresses and box springs it hauls away to recycling partners, which strip the metal from box springs and innerspring coils and the cotton from mattress padding for reuse.^[3] Whether a mattress is recycled otherwise depends on the store, hauler or locality that takes it. Ask before you book.

Never dump it

Virginia law makes it unlawful to dump trash on public property, including a highway right-of-way, or on private property without the owner's written consent.^[11] A conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of $500 to $2,500.^[11] Leaving a mattress by the road or beside a dumpster that is not yours can fall under that law. If you pay someone to take it, ask where it is going.

Stop and call a pro if

• The mattress or box spring will not clear a stair turn or doorway without taking off a railing, a door or a window.
• It is a heavy king, a pillow-top or a mattress on an adjustable base that two people cannot carry safely down stairs.
• Bed bugs are in more than the mattress. Treat the home first; see what bed bug treatment costs in Virginia.
• You have more than a mattress to clear, or it must be gone before a move-out inspection. See how much mattress removal costs in Virginia and how to get rid of an old couch.

Getting it hauled through Loclis

Browse more junk removal and moving answers, see mattress disposal businesses, or find junk removal and moving businesses around Blacksburg. To have the mattress carried out and taken away, describe the job on Loclis and compare quotes.