Disposal guide
How to get rid of a mattress in San Diego (free options first)
Every mattress in San Diego County leaves the house one of three ways: a free recycling drop-off you drive to yourself, a city bulky-item truck that may or may not actually be free, or a hauler you pay to make it disappear today. Here is what each one really costs, who runs it, and which one fits your situation.
The free option that works no matter where you live in the county
California runs Bye Bye Mattress, a state-mandated recycling program funded by the small recycling fee you already paid at the mattress store. In San Diego it shows up as a free drop-off at the Mattress Collection Site inside Miramar Landfill, 5161 Convoy St., on the east side of the entrance next to the Household Hazardous Waste facility. Open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed weekends and major holidays. There is no charge and no limit on how many mattresses or box springs you bring, but the mattress has to be in reasonable shape: not soaked, torn apart, frozen, moldy, or bedbug infested, since the whole thing gets taken apart by hand into steel, foam, fiber, and wood.
North County residents have a second free option: the Republic Services Palomar Transfer Station in Carlsbad (5960 El Camino Real, (760) 332-6464) takes mattresses at no charge, with no limit for residents, Monday to Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bringing a big batch? Call ahead for an appointment.
City bulky pickup: free in some cities, a real fee in others
Every city and unincorporated pocket of the county contracts with a different trash hauler, and that contract decides whether a mattress at the curb is free. Call before you assume either way.
| City / area | Who runs it | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of San Diego (single-family) | Environmental Services | None | The city says it does not offer bulky item or curbside pickup. The free Miramar drop-off is the route. |
| Oceanside | Waste Management | Free | Up to 5 large-item pickups a year, 24-hour notice, (760) 439-2824 |
| Vista / San Marcos / Encinitas | EDCO | Nominal per-item fee | Call EDCO to schedule and confirm the current price for your address |
| Carlsbad | Republic Services | Free | Up to 5 items per pickup, 3 pickups a year, (760) 332-6464; a fee after the third |
| Escondido | Escondido Disposal | Per-item fee, about $15 to $17 | Escondido Disposal, (760) 745-3203. Refrigerators and AC units cost more. Mattress recycling is also offered at their transfer station for a fee |
City of San Diego, Oceanside, EDCO, and Escondido rates and rules per the sources below. Call your hauler to confirm before you plan around it: these contracts change, and a phone rep will confirm the current fee for your exact address in a minute.
None of these move fast. Most want anywhere from a few days to two weeks of notice and a specific collection window, and several cap how many items you can put out. If you are moving this week, a scheduled pickup usually is not the answer.
When the free options do not apply
Bye Bye Mattress and Palomar both turn away mattresses that are wet, moldy, torn open, or show signs of bedbugs, for the same reason: someone has to take them apart by hand. A stained or torn mattress from a move-out, a flood, or an estate cleanout has to go straight to the landfill or to a hauler with a truck and a dump account, not into the recycling line. Same problem if you are on a deadline: a landlord walkthrough, a move-out date, or a listing photo shoot does not wait for the next scheduled truck.
What The Haul Boys charge to just make it disappear
Flat $99, curbside or full-service, any size mattress. That covers the crew carrying it out, the drive to whichever facility takes it that day (Miramar's Bye Bye Mattress site when the mattress qualifies, the landfill when it does not), and the fee either way. No truck rental, no waiting on a city slot, no second trip because it did not fit in the car. See the rest of our pricing for what a mattress plus other items runs as a load.
Text a photo to (714) 414-3321 and we tell you same-day whether it is a straight $99 single item or part of a bigger cleanout load.
The quick version
- Mattress is clean, you have a truck and a free afternoon: drive it to Miramar or Palomar, free.
- Your city runs a free or cheap pickup and you can wait a week or two: call your hauler and get on the schedule.
- It is stained, torn, or you need it gone today: pay for a haul. That is the whole trade: time versus money.
Sources: City of San Diego, Recycling Mattresses and Box Springs · Bye Bye Mattress, San Diego Mattress Disposal · City of Oceanside, Residential Large Item Pick-Up · City of Oceanside, Donation & Landfill Curbside Pickups · City of Vista, EDCO Bulky Item Pickup Service · EDCO San Marcos, Bulky Item Pickup · WasteFreeSD, Bulky Item Pick-up (Incorporated SD County) · WasteFreeSD, Carlsbad/Palomar Transfer Station · Escondido Disposal, Bulky Item Pickup · WasteFreeSD, Escondido Disposal (EDCO Resource Recovery).