In Mesa, an old mattress goes out with the city's bulk item pickup. Its list of acceptable bulk items includes mattresses, bed frames and box springs, and it collects them from the end of the driveway, scheduled in advance, starting at $31.00 per load for Mesa Solid Waste customers. The city's own advice for mattresses and box springs comes first, though: sell, donate or reuse them if you can, and use bulk item pickup when you cannot (City of Mesa, Bulk Item Pick-up; City of Mesa, Household Hazardous Materials, both checked October 13, 2026).
Table of contents
- Does Mesa's bulk item pickup take mattresses?
- What does it cost, and how do you book it?
- How do you set a mattress out for pickup?
- Can you sell or donate a mattress instead?
- Can you take a mattress to the landfill yourself?
- What about a cleanup for the whole street?
- What should you do with a mattress that has bed bugs?
- Which route fits your mattress?
- Frequently asked questions
Does Mesa's bulk item pickup take mattresses?
Yes, with the bed frame and the box spring. The City of Mesa's curbside bulk collection is for bulky items that do not fit in the black trash barrel, and its list of acceptable bulk items names mattresses, bed frames and box springs beside furniture, exercise machines, bicycles and boxed or bagged small household items. The service is for current Mesa Solid Waste customers, for an additional charge, and it must be scheduled in advance (City of Mesa, Bulk Item Pick-up, checked October 13, 2026).
Two limits are worth knowing before you book. The city collects up to 4 loads of about 4 by 8 by 4 feet per scheduled pickup, and it notes that a single or bundled item over 60 pounds may be ineligible. If your mattress is a heavy one, ask about it when you schedule.
What does it cost, and how do you book it?
From $31.00 per load for Mesa Solid Waste customers. The City of Mesa prices its bulk item pickup by the load, and it lists the service for non-Mesa customers starting at $39.59 per load (City of Mesa, Bulk Item Pick-up, checked October 13, 2026).
To book:
- Use the city's online Bulk Item Pick-up Request, or call the city during business hours.
- Pay any past due balance on your account: the city asks that it be paid in full first.
- If you live in an HOA or a multi-unit community, check with your property manager first: the city notes that residents there may need to contact their property manager for trash and recycling services.
How do you set a mattress out for pickup?
At the end of the driveway, in the window the city sets. Put the mattress out after 6 p.m. the night before your pickup and no later than 6 a.m. on the collection day.
The city's page names four ways to end up with a $31.00 trip charge: the items are not at the curb when its crew arrives; unacceptable items are mixed in, in which case the city may also leave the entire load behind; the material is not contained or prepared as its bulk pickup guidelines require, in which case the items may not be collected; or a cancellation or reschedule comes less than 1 business day before the pickup (City of Mesa, Bulk Item Pick-up, checked October 13, 2026).
The mixed load is the one to plan around. Keep the mattress pile to items on the city's list: appliances, construction or home remodeling materials, hazardous waste such as oil, paint, batteries, light bulbs and propane tanks, liquids and tires are not part of bulk item pickup.
Set out only what is on the list. One refused item in the pile can mean the city leaves the whole load where it is.
Can you sell or donate a mattress instead?
That is the city's first suggestion. On its Household Hazardous Materials page, in the list of items the facility does not take and where they go instead, the City of Mesa lists mattresses, box springs, couches and exercise equipment under furniture, with one instruction: sell, donate or reuse them if possible, and use bulk item pickup otherwise (City of Mesa, Household Hazardous Materials, checked October 13, 2026).
Before you set a mattress aside for a charity, call the charity to ask what it accepts and whether it picks up at your address. A charity sets its own rules for what it takes, and a mattress it turns down is still yours to move. The same Mesa facility page is clear about one thing: the Household Hazardous Materials facility itself refuses furniture, so a mattress never goes there.
Can you take a mattress to the landfill yourself?
Yes, through Mesa's Landfill Use Program, if your account qualifies. The program lets Mesa residential trash and recycling customers with an applicable rate code on their City of Mesa utility bill dispose of one load of up to 2,000 pounds of non-hazardous solid or vegetative waste per calendar month, for a $15.00 fee added to the next utility bill, at one of the participating transfer stations or landfills (City of Mesa, Landfill Use Program, checked October 13, 2026).
What you need for the trip:
- a City of Mesa utility bill for the current or previous month, and a photo ID showing that you live at the service address;
- a vehicle no larger than one-ton manufacturer rated;
- a covered load, securely tied down.
One mattress uses little of that 2,000 pound limit, so the same load can include the box spring, the frame and other non-hazardous items from the room.
What about a cleanup for the whole street?
Mesa's Neighborhood Cleanup Program brings the containers to you. For a street-wide cleanup, the program sets out 30-yard roll-off containers for a neighborhood cleanup event, once every 12 months per neighborhood, for Mesa residential trash and recycling customers with curbside barrel service who apply and meet its eligibility requirements. Its trash container takes unusable furniture, mattresses and box springs, and bagged or boxed trash (City of Mesa, Neighborhood Cleanup Program, checked October 13, 2026).
It is a good fit when several neighbors have a mattress or a couch to clear at the same time. Events are scheduled first come, first served, and depend on container availability, so apply well ahead of the date you want.
What should you do with a mattress that has bed bugs?
Treat it if you can; if it has to go, tell the city and mark it. The EPA says not to discard furniture if you can safely eliminate the bed bugs from it, and not to throw out all of your things, since most can be treated and saved and throwing them out may spread bed bugs to other homes (EPA, Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control; EPA, Top Ten Tips to Prevent or Control Bed Bugs, both checked October 13, 2026).
If the mattress cannot be saved, the EPA's advice is to make sure no one else takes it:
- Slash it, or rip the cover and remove the stuffing, so it cannot be used again.
- Mark it "Bed Bugs" with spray paint.
- Have it picked up as soon as possible by the trash collection service (EPA, Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control, checked October 13, 2026).
In Mesa, that collection is the city's bulk item pickup, and the city has its own rule for it. When you schedule, it asks every customer whether any items have come in contact with bed bugs, and there are no additional charges for handling them; it requires a sheet of paper conspicuously marked "BB", attached with strong tape to each item with bed bugs, so its collection crew can see it (City of Mesa, Bulk Item Pick-up, checked October 13, 2026).
And if you keep a mattress through a treatment, the EPA notes that bed bug encasements on the mattress and the box springs make it harder for bed bugs to reach you while you sleep, and should stay on for a year.
Which route fits your mattress?
It depends on who carries it, and how soon it has to go. Side by side, from the city's own pages:
| Route | Who moves the mattress | The fee on record | What to know | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sell, donate or reuse | You and the buyer or charity | Ask the buyer or charity | The city's first suggestion; ask a charity before you set it aside | City of Mesa |
| Bulk item pickup | You, to the end of the driveway | From $31.00 per load | Scheduled in advance; set out after 6 p.m. the night before | City of Mesa |
| Landfill Use Program | You, in your own vehicle | $15.00 per load | One load a calendar month, up to 2,000 pounds | City of Mesa |
| Neighborhood Cleanup Program | You and your neighbors, to the container | Apply to the city | Once every 12 months per neighborhood | City of Mesa |
| A junk hauler | The hauler | Quoted for the job | Ask what the price includes | Ask the hauler |
For Chandler's and Apache Junction's programs beside Mesa's, see how bulk pickup compares with a dumpster or a hauler, and for the public fees, what junk removal costs.
Comparing these routes with a hauler? The Good Life Junk Removal provides junk removal and clean up for homes. To ask whether it can take your mattress at your address, call or text (602) 486-2331.
Frequently asked questions
Will the City of Mesa pick up an old mattress?
Yes. The City of Mesa's list of acceptable bulk items includes furniture, mattresses, bed frames and box springs, exercise machines, bicycles, wheelbarrows, toilets, water softeners, one large TV or a few small ones, lawn mowers with no gasoline, barbeque grills with no propane, boxed or bagged small household items, and branches bundled in 4-foot lengths (checked October 13, 2026). The pickup is scheduled in advance, for an additional charge.
How much does it cost to get rid of a mattress in Mesa?
The City of Mesa prices its bulk item pickup by the load, starting at $31.00 per load for Mesa Solid Waste customers (checked October 13, 2026). A Mesa load is about 4 by 8 by 4 feet, with at most 4 loads per scheduled pickup.
When do I set a mattress out for Mesa bulk pickup?
The City of Mesa asks for bulk items at the end of the driveway, set out after 6 p.m. the night before and no later than 6 a.m. on the collection day, and assesses a $31.00 trip charge if items are not at the curb when its crew arrives (checked October 13, 2026).
Does Mesa's Household Hazardous Materials facility take mattresses?
No. Mesa's Household Hazardous Materials facility refuses commercial and industrial waste, construction waste, explosives and large ammunition, furniture, lawn equipment, and medication, medical sharps and medical waste (checked October 13, 2026). The city's page lists mattresses and box springs under furniture, with sell, donate or reuse first and bulk item pickup after that.
What do I do with a mattress that has bed bugs?
Treat it if you can: the EPA says not to discard furniture you can safely clear of bed bugs. If it has to go out with the City of Mesa's bulk item pickup, tell the city when you schedule, since it asks every customer and charges nothing extra for handling these items, and tape a sheet of paper conspicuously marked BB to each item with bed bugs. The EPA also says to destroy a discarded mattress, for example by slashing it, so nobody else takes it home.
Sources
- Bulk Item Pick-up, City of Mesa
- Household Hazardous Materials, City of Mesa
- Landfill Use Program, City of Mesa
- Neighborhood Cleanup Program, City of Mesa
- Top Ten Tips to Prevent or Control Bed Bugs, US EPA
- Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control, US EPA
About the author
The Good Life Junk Removal, junk removal and clean up for homes
The Good Life Junk Removal provides junk removal and clean up for homes. Call or text (602) 486-2331.
