How to Throw Away a Mattress in Massachusetts Without Getting Slapped with a Fine

Now that the kids are heading back to school, my wife and I have been doing some fall cleaning. We've been focused on turning both garages back into places to park cars instead of places to store things. It would be nice to have two clear garages before the first snow falls.

If you're anything like me, there may be an old mattress or two being stored in the garage or the basement. A big part of the reason people in Massachusetts do this is because it can be tough to get rid of a mattress.

Back in November of 2022, Massachusetts banned residents from throwing mattresses away in the trash. Instead, the mattresses are expected to be dumped at local transfer stations or recycled. However, too many places in Massachusetts are littered with illegally dumped mattresses.

What Mattresses Are Banned From the Trash?

The ban covers mattresses and box springs in every size, from a crib mattress up to a California king. Foundations count, too.

It also covers memory foam, latex, and the shrink wrapped ones that are delivered to your door compressed inside a box.

What Can Still Go in the Trash?

Plenty of bedroom stuff can still go out with the regular trash. Mattress pads and toppers are fine. So are pillows and sleeping bags.

Futon mattresses and the mattresses inside sofa beds are not covered by the Massachusetts mattress ban either. Neither are waterbeds or most air mattresses.

Leaving It Out in the Rain Does Not Work

A mattress that is wet, moldy, or crawling with bed bugs cannot be recycled, and can go out as regular trash.

Don't get any bright ideas, though. The state is one step ahead of you. Ruining a good mattress on purpose so it fails is considered intentional contamination, and the state treats it as a violation.

Where to Take Your Old Mattress

Start with your own town. A lot of local programs collect mattresses or accept them at the transfer station for a fee.

If yours does not, MassDEP keeps a mattress recycling page, and it lists places near you that take mattresses for donation and reuse.