What Mattress Disposal Costs in Denver: Every Option, From Free to Full Service.
By Darius Schultz, owner · Updated
A mattress will not fit in the cart, most charities will not take it, and it fights you the whole way down the stairs. There are real free and cheap routes in Denver, though, and one of them may be right for you. Here is every option we could verify, what each costs, and the catch in each one: Denver's free Large Item Pickup, Spring Back Colorado recycling at $40 a piece, store haul-away and your suburb's program. We haul mattresses for a living, so our own price is in here too, last.
Every Option in One Table.
Costs are for one queen mattress and box spring, checked September 2026. The details and sources for each row are below.
| Option | Cost | Who carries it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store haul-away with a new mattress | Often free, sometimes a fee | Delivery crew | Only when you buy; clean mattresses only |
| Denver Large Item Pickup | Free with city trash | You, to the curb | Every nine weeks; must be bagged and wrapped |
| Suburban city programs | Free to a per-item fee | You, to the curb or a drop-off | Set dates, residents only, rules vary |
| Spring Back drop-off | $80 ($40 a piece) | You, to Commerce City | Needs a vehicle it fits in |
| Spring Back pickup | $140 inside the 470 loop | You, outside at ground level | No Wed, Sat or Sun pickups; no wet mattresses |
| Denver Junk Solutions | $149, plus $25 a flight | Us, from the bedroom | Goes to the transfer station, not recycled |
Can the City Take My Mattress?
Denver, with city trash service: yes, every nine weeks. Large Item Pickup comes on your regular trash day. Up to 5 large items and 10 bags per address, out by 6 a.m., at least 2 feet from carts, cars and poles. Mattresses and box springs must be bagged and wrapped. Only set items out on your Large Item day; the city treats any other day as illegal dumping. Find your date in the Denver Trash and Recycling app or by calling 311. The full schedule and the list of what the city will and will not take is in our Denver large item pickup guide.
The west suburbs each do it differently. Our city pages explain each program from the city's own site:
- Golden: one free large item pickup a year for households on the city's Pay-As-You-Throw program.
- Arvada: mattresses and box springs are on the prepaid curbside bulk pickup list, and the drop-off days take them too.
- Edgewater: Large Item Pick Up twice a month, where a mattress and a box spring each count as one piece.
- Wheat Ridge: a free drop-off day, next listed for May 15, 2027, that takes whole beds; you unload them yourself.
- Lakewood: no city pickup; the city points residents to paid mattress drop-offs.
- Westminster: no city large item program; the city's Sustainability Center takes mattresses.
Source for Denver: Denver Large Item Pickup, checked September 2026. Each city page cites its own source.
Where Can I Recycle a Mattress Near Denver?
Mattress recycling in the Denver area runs through Spring Back Colorado, a nonprofit in Commerce City. Drop-off is at 4975 Pontiac St with no appointment, Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. It costs $40 a piece for any size, so a queen set is $80 and a king set, with its split box spring, is three pieces.
Spring Back also picks up, for a transportation fee on top: $60 inside the 470 loop, $70 and $80 farther out, and $90 in the mountains. The mattress has to be outdoors at ground level, because its drivers do not come inside, and there are no residential pickups on Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday. It does not accept wet or frozen mattresses without an extra charge. In Boulder and Fort Collins, Spring Back has affiliate collection centers.
Lakewood's city pages also list SustainAbility as a paid mattress drop-off.
Source: Spring Back Colorado, Denver/Metro, checked September 2026. Fees can change.
Will the Store Take the Old One?
Often, if you are buying a new one. Denver Mattress lists a mattress removal service as an add-on to a delivered order, shown at $0 when we checked. Other stores vary, and some charge, so ask before you order and have the old bed stripped. Delivery crews usually refuse a stained or bug-damaged mattress.
Can I Donate a Mattress?
Rarely. Habitat for Humanity ReStore lists mattresses among the things it does not accept, and most charities say the same for hygiene reasons. If yours is genuinely like new, call the specific charity before you load it; otherwise recycling is the better route.
Can I Just Throw It in a Dumpster?
In a roll-off you rented, usually yes; tell the rental company it is going in. An apartment trash dumpster is not a large item program, and leaving a mattress beside it can bring a fine. More in junk removal vs. a dumpster.
Why Didn't the Trash Truck Take My Mattress?
- It was not bagged and wrapped. Denver requires both for mattresses and box springs.
- It was not your Large Item day. Denver's regular trash truck does not take large items, and setting one out early counts as illegal dumping.
- It was too close to the carts. Denver wants large items at least 2 feet from carts, cars and poles, and out by 6 a.m.
- It was not prepaid. Arvada's bulk pickup only takes the items you scheduled and paid for.
- Your hauler does not do bulky items. In Lakewood and unincorporated areas, your private hauler's rules apply. Call and ask.
What Mattress Pickup Costs With Us.
Every free option above needs the mattress outside, a vehicle it fits in, or a date weeks away. When none of that works, here is our price. $149 covers the first 2 cubic yards, then $75 a yard, and mattresses carry no extra fee at the transfer station.
| Situation | Price |
|---|---|
| One mattress, or a mattress and box spring, from any room | $149 |
| A king set with a bulky frame and headboard | $149 to $186.50 |
| Two mattress sets | About $299 |
| A mattress set plus a couch | $299 to $374 |
| A mattress added to a garage, room or whole-home cleanout | Just its yards at $75 a yard |
Stairs are $25 a flight on any of these, and a carry over 100 ft is +$40. You approve the price on site before we start. Full yard table on the pricing page.
Where a Mattress We Haul Goes.
To an STS transfer station, where mattresses are taken with no extra fee. We do not use a mattress recycler. If recycling is the reason you are reading this, Spring Back is the honest answer, and if you can get the mattress outside, its pickup costs about what ours does.
What we add is the carry: down the stairs, out of the apartment, before the new one arrives, with no bagging and no curb date. Wet and stained mattresses are fine, and bed-bug ones usually are too if you tell us first; we bag those before they go on the trailer. Same day happens when the schedule allows, but it is never promised. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm, and Sunday by appointment. To book, see mattress removal in Denver.
Mattress Disposal Questions.
How much does it cost to get rid of a mattress in Denver?
How do I dispose of a mattress in Colorado?
Can I throw my mattress in a dumpster?
Why didn't the garbage man take my mattress?
How do I dispose of a mattress in Boulder, Colorado?
Do you recycle mattresses?
Why is it not cheaper for just one mattress?
Will you take a mattress with bedbugs, mold, or water damage?
Do I need to carry it to the curb?
None of the Free Ones Fit?
Text a photo. $149 a set, carried out from any room, and just its yards on any bigger load.
Snap a Photo of the Items, Get a Price
Drop your number below. Darius texts your price back, usually within 10 minutes during business hours.
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