The cheapest way to get rid of an old mattress in Alabama is usually your city’s bulk pickup or a public drop off site, and both are free or close to it if you live in the right place. The easiest way is to have it hauled off, either by the store delivering your new bed or by a junk removal crew. Donation works less often than people expect, and recycling programs like Bye Bye Mattress do not operate here.
Many people only start searching how to dispose of a mattress the week before a move, when the old bed suddenly has to fit on a truck or go away for good. Below are the options in order of effort, with the actual rules for Birmingham, Hoover, Alabaster and Shelby County where the local government publishes them.
Your Mattress Disposal Options at a Glance
Each option trades money for effort. Free choices usually mean waiting for a pickup slot or loading a mattress into a vehicle yourself, which is harder than it sounds with a floppy queen or king.
| Option | Your effort | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| City bulk pickup | Low to medium | Usually included with city service | Residents with flexible timing |
| Public drop off or landfill | High | Free to modest gate fee | People with a truck or trailer |
| Retailer haul away | Very low | Set by the retailer | Anyone buying a new mattress |
| Donation | Medium | Free | Clean mattresses with no damage |
| Junk removal service | Very low | Quoted per job | Tight moving timelines, several items |
The scale of the problem explains why cities regulate this closely. The EPA counts mattresses within furniture and furnishings, a category that generated 12.1 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018, and 80.1 percent of it went to landfills (EPA durable goods data).
How to Dispose of a Mattress in Alabama by City
Knowing how to dispose of a mattress legally starts with local rules, and those change from one city line to the next. Begin with the sanitation page for the address where the mattress sits today. Here is what the official pages say for several communities around Birmingham.
Birmingham
The City of Birmingham runs four district dumpster sites where residents can drop off mattresses, household garbage, and trash and brush, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sites are in Ensley (1044 Avenue West), Eastend (301 96th Street North), North Birmingham (2413 27th Street North) and Southside (501 6th Avenue South). Hazardous items and commercial construction materials are not allowed (City of Birmingham).
The same page lists a public unloading area at the Eastern Area Landfill, 2787 Alton Road, open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. You must show a driver’s license proving Jefferson County residency, and there is no fee for residential disposal. Curbside bulk trash follows a posted neighborhood schedule, with items out by 6 a.m. on collection day (Birmingham bulk trash schedules).
Hoover
Hoover lists appliances and mattresses among the items it collects. Submit a request through MyHooverConnect, place the mattress no more than 3 feet from the curb with nothing overhead, and expect large bulk piles to be collected within 10 days (City of Hoover).
Alabaster
Alabaster picks up old furniture and mattresses on the first Monday of each month, or the second Monday after a holiday. Only 100 reservation slots open each month, two weeks ahead, through SignupGenius or City Hall. The pile has a 10 cubic yard limit, items must be under 10 feet long and 300 pounds, and nothing can go to the curb more than 24 hours early. If a prohibited item is in the pile, the crew skips the entire pile (City of Alabaster).
Shelby County Landfill
The Shelby County landfill sits at 401 Landfill Road on Highway 70 between Calera and Columbiana. It is open weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with listed charges of $10 for cars, vans and SUVs and $14 for pickup trucks. The county’s next Free Landfill Day for residents is Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The page does not name mattresses specifically, so call before you load up (Shelby County).
If you live in Calera, Sylacauga, Auburn, Florence or anywhere not listed here, check your city’s sanitation or public works page before you set anything at the curb. Pickup days, reservation rules and item limits vary.
Retailer Haul Away When You Buy a New Mattress
If a new bed is already on order, this is the least work of any option. Many mattress stores will remove the old one when they deliver the new one, usually one for one and often for an added fee. Ask at checkout, not on delivery day, and confirm three things: the price, whether the box spring counts as a second item, and whether the crew will refuse a stained or damaged mattress.
This option does not help if you are moving and not replacing the bed, or if your new mattress ships compressed in a box.
Donating a Mattress and When Charities Say No
Donation sounds like the obvious answer to what to do with an old mattress, but many charities will not take one. Habitat for Humanity’s Birmingham ReStore, for example, lists used mattresses among the items it does not accept (Habitat for Humanity Birmingham).
Groups that do accept them tend to turn away anything with stains, tears, sagging, odors or any sign of bed bugs. Call ahead, describe the condition honestly and send a photo if they ask. A shelter, a local church or a neighborhood swap group may be more flexible than a large thrift chain, but only offer a mattress you would be comfortable sleeping on yourself.
Is Mattress Recycling Available in Alabama?
Not through a statewide program. The Mattress Recycling Council runs its Bye Bye Mattress program only in states that passed mattress recycling laws, currently California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island, where it has recycled more than 15 million mattresses (Mattress Recycling Council). Its FAQ states the program is available only to consumers in those four states (Bye Bye Mattress FAQ).
In those programs the steel, foam, fabric and wood are separated and reused. Alabama residents can still ask a local recycler whether it takes mattresses, but expect to arrange transport and possibly pay a fee.
How to Prepare a Mattress for Disposal
A little preparation keeps pickup crews from refusing the load and keeps pests from spreading through your home or truck. Work through these steps a few days before pickup or drop off.
- Strip all bedding and wash it on hot, even if you are keeping the frame.
- Vacuum the mattress surface and seams so dust and debris stay out of hallways.
- Slide the mattress into a heavy plastic mattress bag and tape it closed, which also makes it easier to grip on stairs.
- If you have seen bed bugs, follow EPA advice to seal infested items in plastic and mark discarded furniture with the words “Bed Bugs” so no one takes it home (EPA bed bug guidance).
- Confirm your pickup date or site hours, then move the mattress out only within the window your city allows.
Illegal Dumping Carries Real Fines
Leaving a mattress on a roadside, behind a store or in a commercial dumpster that is not yours counts as dumping. Birmingham lists fines of up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for a second, plus community service (City of Birmingham).
State law treats criminal littering as a Class B misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $500 on a first conviction. Repeat convictions can bring up to $1,000 and 100 hours of litter pickup, or a fine of $2,000 to $3,000 (Code of Alabama 13A 7 29). Setting a mattress at the curb outside your scheduled window can also lead to a code complaint.
Hiring a Junk Removal Service Before a Move
For many families, the simplest answer to how to dispose of a mattress during a move is to hand the job off. Junk removal makes sense when timing matters more than cost. During a move you rarely have a free Monday slot, a pickup truck and two strong helpers at the same time, and a mattress left behind at a rental can cost you part of your deposit.
A good crew carries the mattress out of the bedroom, loads it and takes it off site, often along with the old dresser, broken recliner or washer you also decided not to move. Ask for a price before the truck arrives, confirm what items are included, and ask where the load goes.
Get Rid of the Old Mattress Before Moving Day
Settle the mattress question before the movers show up so nothing you plan to throw out ends up loaded, carried and unloaded at the new house. Move Gurus, a family owned company that started in Birmingham, offers junk removal with upfront pricing for homes and offices, from a single appliance to several pieces of furniture. If you are also relocating, the same team handles residential moving across Alabaster, Sylacauga and the Birmingham area.
Request a junk removal quote from Move Gurus and tell us what is going and when you move, so the old mattress leaves before the new chapter starts.
