How to Get Rid of a Mattress in San Francisco (7 Local Options)
In this post we will cover 7 local options for getting rid of an old mattress in the San Francisco Bay area. Mattresses are hard things to get rid of and the available options continue to become more expensive and harder to find.
AND If you want to recycle or responsibly dispose of your old mattress it can be even more of a nightmare.
You can’t simply take it on the cable car and if you don’t have a truck to load it into, what do you do with it? Luckily we have included some great options for you to take advantage of in the San Francisco area.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Mattresses are large items that don’t compress and take up valuable space in garbage dumps. Many landfills across the nation are no longer accepting mattresses and most donation centers no longer accept them.
Option #1: A Bedder World Mattress Removal (Bay Area) – Curbside Pick Up Service
A Bedder World offers mattress pickups 6 days a week and covers the entire San Francisco and Bay areas. You can easily book online, pay with a credit card and choose your pick up day. The team will drop by and grab your items and responsibly dispose of them. A Bedder World recycles, donates, repurposes, or responsibly disposes of every mattress they pick up. They have been in business for over 10 years and have been servicing the Bay area for the last 5 years. To date they have recycled over 1,000,000 mattresses nationwide and have saved over 26,000,000 cubic feet of space in our nation’s landfills. Some areas of San Francisco have laws about putting items outside on the curb, so A Bedder World will pick up mattresses from your porch, alley, garage, etc… in order to accommodate.
- – Serving a 30 mile radius around San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and more
– Curbside removal services and Commercial/Bulk services.
– Starting at only $75 for a single piece pick up.
– Over 1,000,000 mattresses recycled nationwide.
Option #2: Recology San Francisco
Recology is an organization with a focus on zero waste that will pick up bulky furniture items. 2 times per year if you have 5 buildings or less. For buildings with 6 units or more, each unit gets one bulky pick up per year.
Contact:
Address: 501 Tunnel Avenue San Francisco, CA 94134. Phone: 415.330.1400
Requirements:
-Must have an active Recology account
-Must make request for pick up online at: https://www.recology.com/recology-san-
francisco/bulky-items/
How it works:
-place item by curbside or drop off at Recology Transfer Station at 501 Tunnel Ave. Fees may apply.
Important note: Recology sometimes has a long wait on their schedule, so if you are not a client, or want your
mattress picked up sooner, you may be best utilizing another option.
Option #3: Blue Line Transfer Station: Drop Off
Blue Line Transfer Station:
Blue Line Transfer, Inc.
500 East Jamie Court South San Francisco
(650) 589-4020
Blue Line Transfer is a public disposal and recycling facility conveniently located one mile east of Highway 101 in the City of South San Francisco. There is no appointment necessary. Their disposal rates are the most competitive in the area. They use certified weight scales to make sure you pay a fair price. They use the model of charging a fee per ton, that is based on material type and is prorated accordingly. Minimum fee is $38.
Option #4: Bye Bye Mattress
ByeBye Mattress is a directory with a list of mattress recycling centers throughout California that allow for you to drop off mattresses. You can enter your zip code and find the closest drop off location to your house. Some of these options are free, while others may come with a fee. We always recommend calling the drop off facility to make sure they are open and accepting mattresses before making the drive to their location.
Option #5: Donate Your Mattress
Donating your mattress is a great way to repurpose it and a way to let someone get some more use out of your gently used bed. You can also perhaps get a tax break! IRS form 8283.
Generally we have found that donation centers will not accept mattresses that have stains, rips, bed bugs or mattresses older than 5 years of age. (Unfortunately, due to recent increased sanitary concerns, most donation centers are not accepting mattresses of any kind at this time. This is also true with the following locations in San Francisco):
ARC of San Francisco
1500 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 255-7200. ARC has partnered with the Community Thrift Store. (Not taking mattresses at this time)
Goodwill San Francisco Bay
580 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 575-2145 (Not accepting furniture of mattresses at this time)
Salvation Army San Francisco
Visit their website to find a thrift store near you. 4000 19th Avenue, San Francisco, California 94132 (415) 585-8877 (Not accepting mattresses at this time)
As an alternative, if you know someone who needs a mattress, or are part of an organization with an outreach committee, you may have better luck in placing your mattress.
Option #6: Sell it (San Francisco’s Craigslist Page or Facebook Marketplace)
New mattresses are expensive these days. Believe it or not many people would love to purchase your lightly used mattress for a discounted price. As long as your mattress is stain free and not TOO old you may have some luck selling or giving away your mattress on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace.
SELLING TIPS: Be sure to take nice pictures. Let customers know how old your mattress is and that the mattress is bed bug free, stain free, etc…
Option #7: DIY – Do it Yourself Mattress Recycling
Do what we do – Tear apart your mattress with a carpet knife and separate the materials, and then use the materials for other things. You can use the foam to make pillows, or dog beds, or you can take the foam to a carpeting manufacturer. Manufacturers use the foam to make carpeting underlayment. You can take the steel to your local recycling center. Cut up the wood from your boxspring and use it for firewood. We have a great step-by-step “How To Guide” on our blog that you can follow.
We hope this list of options helps you to find a way to get rid of your old mattress. Good luck and if you have any questions, we are always happy to offer advice on any of the suggestions above. The San Francisco Public Works Department also has a great website that is a good resource for navigating how to get rid of hard to dispose of items, like mattresses.
