How to Get Rid of a Mattress in Austin, TX (5 Local Options)

Current state of mattress disposal in Austin

When you purchase a mattress it never really crosses your mind that someday you will have to find a way to dispose of it. With the rise of online mattress sales, it is becoming more and more of a problem for consumers to find ways to get rid of their old mattresses after purchasing a new one. Due to their size and inability to break down in the landfill, mattresses are some of the hardest items to dispose of. Luckily, if you are trying to get rid of a mattress or box spring in the Austin area we have put together a list of local options that you can utilize. These options range from companies that will pick mattresses up from your home (i.e. WE DO THIS!), along with drop off locations and donation centers.

Option #1: A Bedder World Mattress Recycling– Curbside & In Home Pick Up Services

A Bedder World started as a small mattress recycler in Colorado and has since expanded to service more areas. They have been a mattress disposal resource for residents of Austin for over 5 years now.

They will come to your home and pick up your old mattress and/or box spring, offering curbside OR in-home removal options. You can easily book and pay for your pick up online.

To date A Bedder World as a company has recycled over 1 million mattresses and box springs and has saved over 26 million sq.ft. of landfill space across the United States. Book your mattress pick up here.

Serving a 40 mile radius around Austin: Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Lago Vista, and many more…
In-home and curbside removal services.
20%-30% Less than major junk companies.
Over 1 million mattresses recycled.

Items they pick up:

Mattresses
Box Springs
Bed Frames
Toppers
Futons
Bedding

Option #2: Search the City of Austin Reuse Directory

Austin has put together a great program where residents can easily search donation centers and local companies that allow them to buy, sell, donate and rent used items. Although you may not initially think of this as an option for your mattress, there are actually many residents who would be grateful to have a mattress that doesn’t cost them thousands of dollars. The city of Austin offers a reuse directory to help connect customers with recycling and donation centers so that they can keep items out of the landfill and utilize them throughout their full lifespan potential. If your mattress is in decent condition you can use the Reuse directory to donate or sell your mattress to someone who may be able to use it.

The reuse directory includes all sorts of local companies:

Goodwill

Note: some Goodwill locations do not accept mattresses. Please check with your local shop to see what thier policy is.

Salvation Army

Note: Some Salvation Army locations do not accept mattresses. Please check with your local shop to see what their policy is.

Option #3: Post it on Austin’s Craigslist Page

If your mattress is in decent condition, it is very probable that someone may want to use it. Believe it or not there are actually a lot of people who benefit greatly from saving a buck and purchasing a used mattress. PRO TIP: Make sure to take nice pictures and highlight the fact that your mattress DOES NOT have any stains and DOES NOT have bed bugs. This will put potential buyers minds at ease and increase the chances that someone will take it off your hands for you.

Option #4: Drop off: Austin Community Landfill or Travis County Landfill

Austin Area Landills

WASTE MANAGEMENT – AUSTIN COMMUNITY LANDFILL

9900 GILES ROAD

AUSTIN, TX 78754

TRAVIS COUNTY LANDFILL9600 FM 812AUSTIN, TX 78719-9734

Austin has 2 local landfills that are open to the public for junk drop-off (including mattresses and box springs). Although it’s not ideal, Austin doesn’t have any mattress recycling facilities that are open to the public for drop off. If you have a truck and a couple strong volunteers you can load up your mattress set and take it to the dump. The landfills in Austin do accept mattresses for a fee. Many dumps have minimums so if you can find other friends or neighbors who also need to get rid of a mattress you can save a bit by sharing the cost. This disposal option works well if you have a truck or another large vehicle to transport your unwanted mattress and/or boxsprings. The downside being that mattresses dropped off at either of the below landfill locations are obviously put into the Austin landfill system. If possible, recycling your mattress is always a better and more environmentally friendly option than dumping at a landfill, as mattresses are tough to break down and take up a great deal of space.

Option #5: DIY Mattress Recycling Project

If you are a DIY and like taking on projects why not recycle your mattress yourself. This could be a great way to teach your kids about being resourceful or just a fun way to save some money and the environment. By recycling your mattress you can save on average 26sq.ft. of landfill space. We have a great step-by-step blog post on how to break down and recycle your own mattress. Along with another post on how to recycle your box spring yourself. To do this all you need is an exacto knife and some space (things may get messy). Simply cut around the edges of the mattress until you can take off the cover. Inside you will find foam and metal springs. Separate the foam and metal. You can actually bring the metal springs to the scrap yard and they will pay you for them. As for the foam you can shred it up and use it in dog beds, to fill pillows, or you can find a local carpet manufacturer who may pay you for the foam.

Overall, when it comes to getting rid of a mattress in the Austin area, you do have quite a few options at your disposal. If you have any questions or need any help disposing of your old mattress feel free to contact us or leave a comment below and we would be happy to lend a hand in helping you find a resource to get rid of your mattress. Just please don’t dump it on the side of the road or leave it in someones dumpster. Ultimately, that becomes somebody else’s problem to dispose of and it will generally cost them money out of pocket to do so.