The short answer
There are three free ways to recycle a mattress around San José: Bye Bye Mattress drop-off sites, retailer take-back with a new delivery, and the City's free Junk Pickup at the curb. A transfer station such as Zanker Recycling charges a per-mattress gate fee. A flat pickup from inside your home is $82 for a twin, $103 for a queen, $114 for a king and $143 for a mattress and box spring set.
Free route 1: Bye Bye Mattress drop-off
California's mattress program is funded by the industry and run by the Mattress Recycling Council. Its Bye Bye Mattress network includes participating sites that accept mattresses and box springs from residents at no charge. Steel springs go to scrap, and foam and fiber are recovered where markets exist.
The money cost is zero. The other costs are real. You need a vehicle long enough for the mattress and a way to keep it flat, which means a pickup or a cargo van, not a crossover with the seats down. You need to confirm the nearest participating site and its hours before you go, since the list changes.
Count the hours too. Strip the bed, wrestle the mattress through a ranch-house hallway, strap it down, drive, unload and drive home. For a lot of South Bay households that is a Saturday morning. If you already own a truck and live near a site, it is the best deal on this page.
Free route 2: retailer take-back
If you are buying a new mattress with delivery, California requires the retailer to offer to take the old one back at no additional cost. This is the cheapest route by far, because the truck is already coming to your door.
Three things to confirm at checkout. Ask whether the crew carries the old mattress out from the bedroom, or only takes it from the front door. Ask whether the box spring is included. Ask whether you need to request it in advance, because a crew that was not told may not have space.
Online bed-in-a-box brands that ship by parcel do not send a delivery crew, so take-back usually is not practical there. The old frame is also outside the program. If you are replacing a frame at the same time, it has to go some other way. A standard metal frame is $68 as a pickup item.
Free route 3: the City's Junk Pickup
Inside San José city limits, Junk Pickup is free for single-family homes and multi-family complexes, owners and renters. It covers up to 12 items per request, and mattresses are accepted.
What it costs is lead time and a curb. You book through 311, the City confirms within two business days, and the pickup lands on your regular garbage and recycling day. The mattress can go out no more than 24 hours ahead, on the street by the curb and clear of red zones, hydrants and parked cars.
If you live in a house with frontage, that is easy. If you live on the fourth floor of a North San José mid-rise or in a Japantown student rental with no street frontage of your own, carrying a queen down to the street the night before can be the hardest part. Wrap it, because winter storms can soak an unwrapped mattress overnight.
Paid route: self-hauling to a transfer station
Zanker Recycling on Los Esteros Road in North San José accepts mattresses, along with bulky items, construction debris and e-waste. It charges per mattress, and the current figure is on its rate sheet. Its main site runs weekday hours, Monday to Friday, which rules it out for most people with office jobs.
Residents of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas and Santa Clara also have the SMaRT Station at 301 Carl Road in Sunnyvale. It is open 8 to 5 daily and prices loads per cubic yard or per item.
Add the gate fee to a truck rental if you do not own one, plus fuel and the time. For a single mattress, that total often lands close to a flat pickup price without the carry-out. Self-hauling makes more sense when you are taking a whole load of other debris anyway.
The flat pickup price list
| 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 |
| Bunk Bed | $123 |
| Futon | $111 |
Pricing is per item, and the set price saves money over buying separately: a queen plus a box spring would be $103 + $92 = $195, while the set is $143.
The order minimum is $100. A single twin therefore bills at $100, while two twins from a kids' room clear it on their own: $82 + $82 = $164. A bunk bed with both twin mattresses is $123 + $82 + $82 = $287.
Comparing the routes honestly
Put the routes side by side and the choice usually makes itself.
- New mattress being delivered: retailer take-back. Free, and it leaves when the new one arrives.
- Own a truck, near a drop-off site: Bye Bye Mattress. Free, about half a day.
- House with a curb, a flexible week: the City's Junk Pickup. Free, scheduled on your garbage day.
- Apartment, HOA, upstairs bedroom or a deadline: a flat pickup, carried out from where it sits.
A flat pickup is the only route on the list where someone else does the lifting and the timing is yours. Book by 4 PM for same-day service, pick a two-hour window, and the price you see before booking is the price you pay unless you approve a change. We recycle whatever we can, and mattresses are among the easiest items to recover.
Frequently asked questions
Is mattress recycling free in San Jose?
It can be. Bye Bye Mattress participating sites take mattresses free, retailers must offer free take-back when they deliver a new one, and the City's Junk Pickup is free at the curb for up to 12 items per request.
How much does Zanker charge for a mattress?
Zanker Recycling charges a per-mattress fee listed on its current rate sheet. Check that sheet before you go, and note its main site keeps weekday hours, Monday through Friday.
Can I take a mattress to the SMaRT Station?
The SMaRT Station in Sunnyvale serves residents of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas and Santa Clara. It is open 8 to 5 daily and charges per cubic yard or per item.
What does a mattress pickup cost?
Twin $82, full $94, queen $103 and king or Cal king $114. A box spring alone is $92 and a set is $143. The order minimum is $100, and carry-out from any floor is included with no stairs fee.
Is a pickup cheaper than self-hauling one mattress?
If you own a truck and live near a free drop-off site, self-hauling costs less money. If you would be renting a vehicle and paying a gate fee, the gap shrinks to a few hours of your time and the carrying.