Mattress Disposal in Dallas: Monthly Brush & Bulky Pickup

Item: Mattresses, box springs and foundations, and futons — bedding too large for the garbage roll cart

Jurisdiction: City of Dallas Department of Sanitation Services curbside service area — single-family homes and duplexes whose garbage and recycling are paid on the City of Dallas utility (water) bill

Official sources used: City of Dallas Sanitation Services (Brush & Bulky Item Collection, Brush & Bulky Trash Collection FAQ, 2026 Brush & Bulky Collection Calendar, Landfill and Transfer Stations, Household Hazardous Chemicals, Extra Cost Services, Resident's Recycling & Disposal Guide), Dallas City Code Sec. 18-4, Dallas City Code Compliance (Top 10 Code Violations), Dallas County Consolidated Services (Home Chemical Collection Center), Mattress Firm, Home Zone Furniture, Goodwill of Dallas & North Texas, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Dallas Furniture Bank, Bed Start

Last verified: September 2026 · Next review: December 2026

A mattress will not fit in the roll cart, and that is usually where the plan stops. In Dallas mattress disposal is simpler than most people expect: mattresses and box springs are accepted bulky items in the free monthly brush-and-bulky collection. There is no appointment for a standard set-out and no per-item charge.

Three things decide whether your bedding actually gets collected — whose name is on the utility account, your address's assigned collection week, and where you place the mattress. Get the week wrong and the pile sits out past the window. Mix garbage, tires or paint into it and a compliant set-out becomes a billed one at $60 per 5 cubic yards.

This guide walks the route in the order you will use it: whether your address qualifies, what counts as bedding, how big a pile can go out, when and where it goes, whether you have to wrap it, what cannot ride with it, where you can drive it yourself for free, and the paid routes that actually work when donation does not.

Quick Answer

Yes. Inside the City of Dallas curbside service area, mattresses and box springs are accepted bulky items in the free monthly brush-and-bulky collection. There is no per-item mattress charge and no appointment for a standard set-out — it is included in the monthly residential solid waste collection fee on your City of Dallas utility (water) bill.

Three things decide whether it gets collected: whose name is on the utility account, your address's assigned collection week, and where you place the mattress. Each address may set out up to 10 cubic yards per collection week, no earlier than 7:00 a.m. the Thursday before your collection week and no later than 7:00 a.m. that Monday, just behind the curb line with 5 feet of clearance from carts, mailboxes, fences, meters, cars, hydrants, poles and signs.

A mattress cannot go in the garbage roll cart or the blue recycle cart, and it cannot be mixed with garbage, recyclables, construction debris, tires, electronics, paint or chemicals. Over-limit or mixed piles are generally still collected and billed $60 per 5 cubic yards, in 5-cubic-yard increments, on the dwelling unit's City utility account.

Two caveats worth stating plainly: no City of Dallas source requires wrapping a mattress in plastic, and the collection week is address-specific — no page can give you a single citywide date. Look yours up at Dallas.gov/sanitation, in the Dallas 311 app, or by calling 3-1-1 before you move anything.

Quick Facts

Which Route Fits Your Mattress?

Three blanks in that table are deliberate. No official Dallas source publishes a Cost-Plus fee, and none publishes private hauler or recycler pricing. Donation is listed as limited because the two best-known Dallas charities explicitly refuse mattresses.

Who Is Eligible — the City Utility Account Line

Eligibility follows the utility account, not the item. The service is for residential customers who pay for garbage and recycling on their City of Dallas utility (water) bill — typically single-family homes and duplexes. Business and commercial Sanitation customers are not eligible, and multi-family buildings (commonly three or more units) and commercial properties use private or franchise collection arranged by their owner or manager.

For renters that means: if the water and solid-waste account is in a landlord's or property manager's name, a tenant generally cannot be independently enrolled for curb service. Confirm through 3-1-1 (214-670-3111 from outside Dallas), the Dallas 311 app, or the account holder.

These rules cover the City of Dallas only. Irving, Garland, Richardson, Mesquite, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, University Park and unincorporated Dallas County are not covered.

What Counts — Mattress, Box Spring, Foundation, Futon

The City lists mattresses under "Household Items Too Large For Rollcart," alongside furniture, carpet and toilets. Code Compliance materials name "mattresses and box springs" in the once-a-month bulky-trash service, and the FAQ counts furniture, appliances with Freon removed where applicable, mattresses, bagged small household trash and oversized household objects as bulky trash.

Mattress, box spring, foundation and futon all fall in that category and may share one pile. None belong in the garbage roll cart or the blue recycle cart.

When to Set Out — Your Assigned Collection Week

Brush and bulky items are collected once a month, and each address is assigned to one of four collection weeks (1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th Monday week). The week is address-specific, so look it up at Dallas.gov/sanitation, in the Dallas Sanitation/311 app, or by calling 3-1-1.

Set out as early as 7:00 a.m. the Thursday before your collection week; it must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. that Monday. The 2026 calendar phrases the window as Thursday through Sunday before your scheduled week. Early set-outs are subject to enforcement, and bedding left outdoors more than 24 hours can violate illegal outside-storage rules (Dallas City Code Chapter 51A Section 4.213(b)(9)).

How Much You Can Set Out, and How to Measure It

Limit: 10 cubic yards of brush and bulky items per collection week, per address. Measure length × width × depth in feet and divide cubic feet by 27. A mattress and box spring together still count inside that limit.

Once per calendar year, an address may request one oversize collection up to 20 cubic yards, but no more than 10 cubic yards of it may be bulky trash — the balance must be brush. Request it through the Dallas 311 app, online, or by calling 3-1-1 during the week before your collection week; it cannot be cancelled once submitted.

Only cubic yards are published. No linear footprint limit exists, so disregard any "pile size in feet" figure you see elsewhere.

Where and How to Place the Mattress

Just behind the curb line in front of the home — never in the street, on the sidewalk, in an alley, at the side of the house, on a neighbor's property, or in front of a vacant lot or business. Keep 5 feet clear of roll carts, mailboxes, fences and walls, water meters, telephone boxes, parked cars, fire hydrants, utility and light poles, and traffic signs. Do not stack it under low tree limbs or power lines; the grapple arm must reach it.

An orange tag means a violation must be fixed before crews will service the pile. Leaving bulky items in a community trash area is treated as illegal dumping, citable under Dallas City Code Chapter 18 Section 12.

Do You Have to Wrap a Mattress in Dallas? The Honest Answer

No. No official City of Dallas source — the Brush & Bulky page, the FAQ, the 2026 calendar or the Resident's Recycling & Disposal Guide — requires wrapping, bagging or sealing a mattress in plastic. Wrapping rules come from other cities and private haulers, not Dallas.

So do not add a wrapping step to a City set-out. If you hire a private hauler, junk-removal service or retailer haul-away, follow that provider's own terms, which may require wrapping — and if your building or HOA imposes a wrap rule, treat that as the building's rule, not the City's.

What Cannot Ride With a Mattress Set-Out

The whole pile is judged together, so one prohibited item can turn a compliant set-out into a billed one. Keep out: garbage (bagged or unbagged); recyclables; construction and demolition debris; protruding nails; auto parts and tires; dirt, soil or sod; electronics; paints and chemicals; and appliances containing coolant or gas. Contractor-generated waste must be removed by the contractor.

Electronics, chemicals and tires have separate routes — do not hide them under a mattress.

Fees and Penalties — What You Can Actually Be Charged

Over-limit or non-compliant set-outs are generally still collected, and the dwelling unit is automatically billed $60 per 5 cubic yards, in 5-cubic-yard increments, on the City utility account.

There is no separate per-item curbside mattress fee; a standard set-out in your assigned week is covered by the monthly residential solid waste collection fee. Check that rate on your own Dallas utility bill — City pages list different figures, so no single number is reliable. For a pickup outside your assigned week, Cost-Plus Collection exists but publishes no fee schedule; call 3-1-1 (214-670-3111 outside Dallas) for terms. Private hauler, junk-removal and recycler pricing is unpublished too — get any quote in writing.

Free Self-Haul: McCommas Bluff and the Transfer Stations

Dallas residents with proof of residency — a driver's license showing a Dallas address or a current Dallas water bill — may haul their own residential waste, including bulky furniture-type items, to McCommas Bluff Landfill or a City transfer station at no charge, in a passenger car, station wagon, pickup or trailer under 15 feet, with a valid license and a secured load.

• McCommas Bluff Landfill, 5100 Youngblood Road, (214) 670-0977. Mon–Fri 5 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat 6 a.m.–4 p.m., closed Sunday.
• Northwest (Bachman) Transfer Station, 9500 Harry Hines Blvd., (214) 670-6161.
• Northeast (Fair Oaks) Transfer Station, 7677 Fair Oaks Ave., (214) 670-6126.
• Southwest (Westmoreland) Transfer Station, 4610 S. Westmoreland Rd., (214) 670-1927.

The accepted-material list names "Furniture" and "Household waste" but not mattresses, so bedding is accepted by inference — call (214) 670-0977 before loading. Only McCommas Bluff's hours are published; call the transfer stations before driving.

Retailer Haul-Away When You Are Buying a New Mattress

Mattress Firm lists "Mattress Setup and Haul Away" at $109.99, tied to delivery of a new mattress. Its free one-for-one used-mattress haul-away within 30 days applies only to purchases delivered in California, so Dallas orders use the paid service — and the old mattress must not be unsanitary (soiled, wet, pest-infested or stored outdoors). Home Zone Furniture, a DFW regional retailer, hauls away one mattress and/or box spring for $30 on local deliveries only, like-for-like, refuses unsanitary bedding, and removes no other furniture.

Confirm price, eligibility and condition rules at checkout — retailer terms change.

Donation Reality Check — Most Dallas Charities Refuse Mattresses

The obvious "just donate it" advice usually fails here. Goodwill of Dallas & North Texas lists mattresses and box springs among the items it cannot accept; Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore lists "Mattresses/Box Springs" as not accepted; Dallas Furniture Bank is officially on hiatus. A mattress left out for a pickup that never comes is a pile that can be tagged.

One possibility remains: Bed Start, a North Texas nonprofit collecting beds and mattresses for families in Collin County and far North Dallas County as resources allow, with pickup by request. Verify service area and current acceptance before transporting anything.

Where Mattresses Do NOT Go

The Dallas County Home Chemical Collection Center (HC3), 11234 Plano Road, Dallas, TX 75243, (214) 553-1765, takes household chemicals, paint, batteries, automotive fluids, fluorescent tubes, computers and cell phones only. Its "Do not Bring" list excludes common trash, appliances, TVs, microwaves, construction debris and medical waste — and it does not accept mattresses. It is free for Dallas and participating-city residents with a license plus a water or utility bill ($100 minimum for non-participating cities); hours are Tuesday 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., and the 2nd and 4th Saturdays 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

No statewide Texas mattress recycling or retailer take-back program was found in official sources, and there is no City of Dallas mattress recycling service. Curbside mattresses are presumed landfilled. Private DFW mattress-recycling pickups do exist, but they are company-advertised and unpriced officially.

Apartments, Renters and the Utility Account

• Apartment or multi-family building: properties with commonly three or more units use private or franchise collection arranged by the owner or manager. Ask the leasing office before moving a mattress anywhere.
• Utility account in the landlord's name: a tenant generally cannot be independently enrolled for curb service. Coordinate with the account holder and confirm through 3-1-1.
• Single-family or duplex rental: the address fits the program, but eligibility runs through the account — confirm who may place the set-out.
• Lease deadline: leases typically make tenants responsible. Renter routes are a paid retailer haul-away, a paid private pickup, or a correctly sized set-out in the unit's assigned week if the account holder authorizes it.
• Never the dumpster: a mattress in the community dumpster, compactor area or alley is illegal dumping and can be cited.
• Suburban renters: Irving, Garland, Richardson, Mesquite, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, University Park and similar cities follow their own rules.

Prep Checklist Before Anything Goes Out

1. Confirm the address is inside the City curbside service area with garbage and recycling paid on the City utility bill.
2. Confirm your collection week (Dallas.gov/sanitation, the Dallas 311 app, or 3-1-1).
3. Choose the route: curbside, annual oversize, self-haul, retailer haul-away, or paid private pickup.
4. Set out no earlier than 7:00 a.m. Thursday; at the curb by 7:00 a.m. Monday of your collection week.
5. Place it behind the curb line, 5 feet clear, out from under low limbs and power lines.
6. Measure the load in cubic yards (length × width × depth ÷ 27); request the oversize collection the week before if needed.
7. Keep it out of the roll cart and blue recycle cart, and keep prohibited material out of the pile.
8. Do not add a wrapping step for the City route; if a provider or building requires wrapping, follow their terms.
9. For bed bugs, mold or heavy soiling, disclose it and route the mattress to bulk disposal or the landfill, not donation.
10. For self-haul, bring a Dallas-address license or water bill, use an allowed vehicle, secure the load, and call ahead.
11. Keep the bulky pile separate from brush and yard waste, and keep a mattress and box spring together in the same pile.
12. If an orange tag appears, correct the violation before crews will service the pile.

Safety Warnings

• Use a two-person lift or a dolly, wear gloves, and never carry a mattress alone on stairs.
• Inspect bedding for bed bugs, mold, mildew or heavy soiling before moving it. Contaminated bedding should not travel through a shared hallway, elevator or vehicle interior, and haulers and retailers may refuse it. Tell the provider up front and follow your property manager's handling instructions.
• Keep the pile 5 feet clear of hydrants, meters, mailboxes, poles, signs, fences and parked cars so crews, pedestrians and traffic are not obstructed.
• Do not set a mattress in the street or an alley where it can be dragged or blown into traffic, and keep it clear of storm drains.
• Never mix paint, chemicals, fuel, batteries or automotive fluids into a mattress set-out; keep those in labeled containers for the county chemical center.
• Never put electronics, tires or refrigerant appliances in the pile — each has its own route, and prohibited items can make the whole set-out non-compliant.
• Keep contractor-generated debris out of the pile; it is not collected.
• Do not cut up, dismantle or burn a mattress to make it fit a route; springs and foam are hazardous to handle or burn.
• Secure the mattress for self-haul so it cannot lift or slide off the vehicle.
• Do not stage a donation mattress at the curb before a charity confirms pickup.

Verify Before You Act

Because the collection week is address-specific, the monthly fee figure differs across City pages, mattresses are not named on the landfill accepted-material list, and the wrapping answer is an absence of a rule rather than a stated one, confirm these first:

1. Address inside the City of Dallas curbside area, with garbage and recycling on the City utility bill.
2. Your assigned collection week (Dallas.gov/sanitation, the Dallas 311 app, or 3-1-1).
3. The current set-out window and placement rules on the Brush & Bulky page and FAQ.
4. Your load size and whether you need the annual oversize request.
5. Facility acceptance if you self-haul — McCommas Bluff (214) 670-0977, Northwest/Bachman (214) 670-6161, Northeast/Fair Oaks (214) 670-6126, Southwest/Westmoreland (214) 670-1927.
6. HC3 hours at (214) 553-1765 for chemicals — not bedding.
7. The exact rate for Cost-Plus or a private provider; get it in writing.
8. The current retail haul-away price and eligibility at checkout.
9. The current solid waste fee on your own Dallas utility bill — do not quote a published number.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Setting the mattress out on a random week, or outside the Thursday-to-Monday window.
• Wrapping or bagging it because another city or hauler requires it, then assuming Dallas does too.
• Using the garbage roll cart, the blue recycle cart, a community dumpster, a compactor area or an alley.
• Mixing garbage, recyclables, construction debris, tires, electronics, paint or chemicals into the pile and turning a compliant set-out into a $60-per-5-cubic-yard charge.
• Inventing a pile-size-in-feet rule — the City limits set-outs in cubic yards only.
• Driving a mattress to the Home Chemical Collection Center.
• Assuming a charity will take it: Goodwill of Dallas and Habitat ReStore refuse mattresses, and Dallas Furniture Bank is on hiatus.
• Budgeting from a private hauler price or out-of-week fee seen online without a written quote.
• Expecting curbside service when the utility account is in someone else's name or the building is multi-family.
• Applying Dallas rules in Irving, Garland, Richardson, Mesquite, Farmers Branch, Highland Park or University Park.

FAQ

Do I need to schedule a mattress pickup?

No — a standard monthly set-out needs no appointment. You file a request only for the annual oversize collection; Cost-Plus covers out-of-week pickups.

Do I have to wrap the mattress in plastic?

No City of Dallas source requires it. A wrap rule belongs to other cities and some private providers or buildings.

When exactly can I put it out?

No earlier than 7:00 a.m. the Thursday before your collection week, at the curb by 7:00 a.m. the Monday of that week.

How big a pile can I set out?

10 cubic yards per collection week, measured length × width × depth divided by 27. A mattress and box spring count together inside that limit.

I have more than 10 cubic yards. What are my options?

Request the once-a-year oversize collection, up to 20 cubic yards with no more than 10 of bulky trash, via 3-1-1 or the Dallas 311 app the week before; it cannot be cancelled. Otherwise split the load, self-haul, or hire a hauler.

I cannot wait for my collection week.

Self-haul free to McCommas Bluff or a City transfer station with proof of residency and a vehicle under 15 feet, or use Cost-Plus Collection — no fee schedule is published, so call 3-1-1.

Will the landfill take my mattress for free if I haul it?

Dallas residents can self-haul bulky items free with proof of residency, but the accepted-material list names furniture and household waste rather than mattresses. Call (214) 670-0977 before loading.

Can I donate it instead?

Usually not. Goodwill of Dallas and Habitat ReStore officially refuse mattresses and box springs, and Dallas Furniture Bank is on hiatus. Specialty nonprofits such as Bed Start may accept beds — verify first.

Will the retailer take the old one?

Usually as a paid add-on: Mattress Firm lists Setup and Haul Away at $109.99 tied to delivery, and its free haul-away is California-only; Home Zone Furniture takes one mattress and/or box spring for $30 on local deliveries if it is sanitary.

I rent and the water bill is in my landlord's name.

Eligibility follows the City utility account, so a tenant generally cannot be independently enrolled when the account is in a landlord's or property manager's name. Coordinate with the account holder and confirm through 3-1-1.

I live in an apartment complex. Now what?

Multi-family buildings are outside the residential program and use private collection arranged by management. Ask the leasing office before moving anything, and never use the community dumpster, compactor area or alley.

I live in Irving, Garland, Richardson or Mesquite. Do these rules apply?

No. Suburbs that run their own collection are not covered by City of Dallas curbside rules.

My mattress has bed bugs or mold.

It can still go out as a bulky item, but haulers and donation routes may refuse an unsanitary mattress. Route it to bulk disposal or the landfill, and disclose the condition to any provider up front.

What will a private hauler or mattress recycler charge?

No official source publishes that pricing. Get written quotes, ask about wrapping and item restrictions, and compare against the free curbside and self-haul routes first.

Official Sources

1. City of Dallas — Brush and Bulky Item Collection: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/pages/brush_and_bulky.aspx
2. City of Dallas — Brush & Bulky Trash Collection FAQ: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/Pages/Bulk-Brush-FAQ.aspx
3. City of Dallas — Brush & Bulky 2026 Collection Calendar (PDF): https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/DCH%20Documents/pdf/December%20water%20bill%20insert%202025_Digital.pdf
4. City of Dallas — Landfill and Transfer Stations: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/Pages/Landfill-and-Transfer-Stations.aspx
5. City of Dallas — Household Hazardous Chemicals (HHW): https://dallas.gov/departments/sanitation/Pages/hhw.aspx
6. City of Dallas — Extra Cost Services (Cost-Plus Collection): https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/Pages/extra_cost_services.aspx
7. City of Dallas — Resident's Recycling & Disposal Guide (PDF): https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/DCH%20Documents/pdf/Resident%27sGuideFinalEnglish.pdf
8. City of Dallas Code Compliance — Top 10 Code Violations: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/codecompliance/Pages/code_violations_new.aspx
9. Dallas City Code SEC. 18-4 — American Legal Publishing code library: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-142991
10. Dallas County — Home Chemical Collection Center: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/consolidated-services/hhw/
11. Mattress Firm — Delivery & Shipping Services: https://www.mattressfirm.com/delivery-shipping.html
12. Mattress Firm — Mattress Removal Request Form: https://www.mattressfirm.com/haulawayrequestform
13. Home Zone Furniture — Existing Furniture Removal and Mattress Haul-Away: https://homezonefurniture.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/49267305369107-Existing-Furniture-Removal-and-Mattress-Haul-Away
14. Goodwill of Dallas & North Texas — Donation Guidelines: https://www.goodwilldallas.org/donation-guidelines
15. Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore — Donations: https://dallasareahabitat.org/restore-donation
16. Dallas Furniture Bank — Donate Furniture (hiatus notice): https://www.dallasfurniturebank.org/donate-furniture
17. Bed Start (North Texas) — bed and mattress donation pickup: https://bedstart.org/

Contacts: 3-1-1 inside Dallas (214-670-3111 outside), McCommas Bluff Landfill (214) 670-0977, Northwest/Bachman Transfer Station (214) 670-6161, Northeast/Fair Oaks Transfer Station (214) 670-6126, Southwest/Westmoreland Transfer Station (214) 670-1927, Home Chemical Collection Center (214) 553-1765.

Details were checked against these official City of Dallas, Dallas County and provider sources on 2026-09-09.

Jurisdiction and eligibility warning: this guide covers the City of Dallas Sanitation Services curbside service area only — single-family homes and duplexes whose garbage and recycling are paid on the City of Dallas utility (water) bill. Independent suburbs that run their own collection, including Irving, Garland, Richardson, Mesquite, Farmers Branch, Highland Park and University Park, are not covered, and neither is unincorporated Dallas County; readers outside the city must check their own city's rules. Multi-family properties (commonly three or more units) and commercial properties are outside the residential brush-and-bulky program and arrange collection through a private or franchise hauler, and a renter whose utility account is in a landlord's or property manager's name generally cannot be independently enrolled. A mattress left in a community dumpster, compactor area or alley is treated as illegal dumping. The Dallas County Home Chemical Collection Center accepts household chemicals only — never bedding.

Collection weeks, program rules, facility hours and prices change. Confirm your assigned collection week — it is address-specific — and the current brush-and-bulky rules at Dallas.gov/sanitation or by calling 3-1-1 before setting anything out, and call the facility before loading a self-haul vehicle. The base monthly solid waste fee figure is not consistent across City pages, mattresses are not named on the landfill accepted-material list, and no Dallas source requires plastic wrapping — verify each before relying on it.