Old mattresses are the cockroaches of junk: awkward, heavy, impossible to fit in a sedan, and refused by your garbage company. Here’s every legitimate way to get rid of one in the Portland metro — including the free options, because yes, those exist.
Option 1: Free drop-off through Oregon’s mattress recycling program
Oregon has a statewide mattress stewardship program (funded by that small fee you paid when you bought the mattress). Participating collection sites take mattresses and box springs free of charge — find your nearest site at byebyemattress.com. Mattresses must be dry and reasonably intact; wet or badly soiled ones get turned away.
The catch: you still have to wrestle it onto a vehicle, tie it down legally, and drive it there. If you’ve ever watched a mattress try to become a sail on Highway 217, you know the risk.
Option 2: Retailer take-back
Buying a new mattress? Most big retailers will haul the old one away at delivery — sometimes free, sometimes $20–50. Ask before you buy; it’s the single easiest disposal route if the timing lines up.
Option 3: Donate it (rarely works — here’s the truth)
Most charities no longer accept used mattresses for hygiene and liability reasons. A nearly-new mattress in excellent condition might find a taker through a shelter or direct giveaway, but plan on this not working. Frames and headboards, on the other hand, donate easily — we deliver those to local charities all the time.
Option 4: The transfer station
Metro South (Oregon City) and Metro Central (NW Portland) accept mattresses with a per-item surcharge on top of the minimum gate fee — often $50+ all-in for one mattress, plus the trip. See our full Portland dump guide for how the transfer stations work.
Option 5: We pick it up this week
One text, one time window, zero lifting:
- Text a photo of the mattress (and anything else while we’re there) to (503) 455-7920
- Get a firm quote in minutes
- We haul it from wherever it is — upstairs bedroom included — and it goes to a recycler, not the landfill, whenever it qualifies
A mattress + box spring pickup runs $125–$150 depending on your area and access, and it’s often cheaper per item when we grab other junk in the same trip (multi-item discounts up to 5 items). We serve Tigard, Sherwood, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, and all of Portland metro.
What NOT to do
Don’t lean it against a dumpster, leave it curbside “free,” or introduce it to a quiet forest road. Illegal dumping fines in the metro run into the thousands, dumped mattresses are traced more often than people think, and someone’s neighborhood gets stuck looking at it. Portland has enough free and cheap options that dumping is just embarrassing.
FAQ
Is mattress recycling really free in Oregon?
At participating drop-off sites, yes — the recycling fee was collected when the mattress was sold. You provide the transport.
Do you recycle the mattresses you pick up?
Whenever they qualify, yes — they go to recycling facilities where the steel, foam, and fibers get separated and reused. It’s part of why we discount recyclable loads.
Can you take just one mattress, or do I need a bigger load?
One mattress is a completely normal job for us. Most customers add a few other items once they know the truck is coming — that’s when the per-item price gets really good.
All Oregon Junk Removal — family-owned since 2021, serving the Portland metro and Salem. 4.9★ from 230+ Google reviews. See our full 2026 pricing guide.