The short answer
Owning an old mattress is not the problem. The rules in San José are about where it goes and when it is outside. California requires retailers to offer free take-back when they deliver a new mattress, an industry-funded program runs free drop-off sites, and the City of San José will collect a mattress at the curb for free on your garbage day if you book it first. Skip all of it and a queen picked up from inside is $103.
The state layer: California's mattress program
Most states leave mattresses entirely to local trash programs. California does not. It has an industry-funded recycling program run by the Mattress Recycling Council, which the public knows as Bye Bye Mattress.
Two parts of that program matter to a San José household. First, participating collection sites accept mattresses and box springs at no charge, and the materials are recovered for recycling rather than buried. Second, retailers must offer to take back your old mattress at no additional cost when they deliver a new one. That obligation is tied to a delivery, so a parcel-shipped boxed mattress is a different situation.
What the program does not do is come to your house for free if you are not buying anything. It also does not cover what you owe a building or a landlord if you leave a mattress in the wrong place. Those rules are local, and they are where people actually get charged.
The City layer: Junk Pickup rules
Inside the City of San José, the Environmental Services Department runs Junk Pickup. It is free for single-family homes and multi-family complexes, and it is open to renters as well as owners. A request can include up to 12 items, and a mattress is one of the accepted items.
The rules are about placement and timing:
- Book first. Request through 311. The City confirms within two business days and schedules the pickup on your regular garbage and recycling day.
- Set out no more than 24 hours ahead. Earlier than that, and it is just a mattress on the street.
- Put it on the street by the curb, not in a red zone, not next to a fire hydrant and not beside a parked car.
Follow those and you are fine. Put a mattress out without an appointment and you have moved from a collection program into illegal dumping territory.
Neighboring cities run on different calendars
The South Bay is many cities, and their programs are not interchangeable. A rule you read about San José does not apply in Santa Clara or Mountain View.
Santa Clara runs an Annual Cleanup Campaign once a year. In 2026 it ran from April 27 to May 22 in four weekly collection periods, with items out by 7 a.m. on Monday. It is for residents only, not every development participates, and setting out early can bring a $150 fine.
Mountain View gives residents two cleanups a year by appointment through Recology. Each covers a bagged pile up to 4 by 4 by 8 feet plus up to three bulky items, and you need the appointment before anything goes out.
For Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Milpitas, Los Gatos and the rest, check your own city's bulky-item page. If you are not sure which city you are in, your garbage bill will tell you.
Illegal dumping is a state offense
A mattress left on a vacant lot, in a creek bed or along a frontage road is illegal dumping under California Penal Code section 374.3. Fines climb with repeat offenses, and San José runs its own illegal-dumping enforcement on top of the state law.
The more common mistake is quieter. Someone puts a mattress out on the wrong day, or leaves it by an apartment dumpster, or props it against a fence with a 'free' sign. After a weekend of rain, nobody wants it and it has become a problem the property owner pays to clear.
If you rent, your lease is effectively another law. Many complexes in North San José, Japantown and downtown bill a unit for bulky items left in common areas. In a building with shared hallways, a mattress dragged out unbagged can also trigger a pest complaint you do not want attached to your name.
The bed bug rule nobody writes down
No ordinance is as strict as the practical rule for an infested mattress: seal it in the room before it moves an inch.
Use a zippered mattress encasement or heavy plastic bag and tape the seams. Do the box spring the same way. Then carry it out by the shortest route. In a ranch house that is one hallway. In a mid-rise near the light rail it might be a corridor, an elevator and a lobby, and every one of those is shared with neighbors.
Tell whoever is collecting it, whether that is a City crew, a retailer or a hauler. It changes how they handle it, not what you pay. A queen is $103 either way and a set is $143. Never put an infested mattress out unbagged for someone to take, because that is how one bedroom's problem reaches a whole block.
The flat route if you would rather not deal with it
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Mattress — Twin | $82 |
| Mattress — Full / Double | $94 |
| Mattress — Queen | $103 |
| Mattress — King / Cal King | $114 |
| Box Spring (any size) | $92 |
| Mattress + Box Spring Set | $143 |
| Waterbed | $167 |
| Hospital Bed (Electric) | $145 |
Two queen sets from a guest room and a primary bedroom are $143 + $143 = $286. A king mattress with its box spring, priced separately, is $114 + $92 = $206.
Vetted, insured local haulers carry it out from any floor, and disposal is included. There is no 24-hour set-out window to hit, because nothing waits at the curb. We recycle whatever we can.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to throw a mattress in the trash in San Jose?
A mattress does not fit in a garbage cart, and leaving one on the street outside a scheduled pickup is treated as dumping. Use the City's Junk Pickup with an appointment, a Bye Bye Mattress site, retailer take-back or a paid pickup.
Do California stores have to take back old mattresses?
Under California's program, retailers must offer to take back the old mattress at no additional cost when they deliver a new one. Ask when you order and confirm the delivery crew will carry the old one out.
How early can I put a mattress out for San José Junk Pickup?
No more than 24 hours before your appointment. It should sit on the street by the curb, away from red zones, fire hydrants and parked cars. The pickup is scheduled on your regular garbage and recycling day.
Are Santa Clara's rules the same as San José's?
No. Santa Clara runs one Annual Cleanup Campaign each spring, which in 2026 ran April 27 to May 22. It is residents only, items go out by 7 a.m. Monday, and setting out early can bring a $150 fine.
What does mattress removal cost in San Jose?
A twin is $82, a full $94, a queen $103 and a king or Cal king $114. A box spring is $92 and a set is $143. The order minimum is $100, and there is no stairs fee.