Mattress Tips · Serving Seminole County
The quickest way to get rid of an old mattress in Seminole County is to have it hauled away the day your new one is delivered — most local mattress deliveries will carry the old set out for you. If you are not replacing it right now, you have five other routes: a county or city bulk-item pickup, a drop-off at the Seminole County transfer station, recycling, donation, or a paid junk-removal pickup. Here is what each one costs, how much work it takes, and when to pick it.
What’s on this page
- Can you put a mattress out with the regular trash?
- Option 1: Let your delivery haul the old one away
- Option 2: Book a county or city bulk pickup
- Option 3: Drop it at the transfer station or landfill
- Option 4: Recycle it
- Option 5: Donate it (only if it’s clean)
- Option 6: Hire a junk-removal service
- Which option should you pick?
- Common questions
Can you put a mattress out with the regular trash?
No. In most of Seminole County a mattress will not be taken with your weekly household garbage. It counts as a bulky item, which means it needs a separate bulk pickup or a drop-off, not the curbside cart. Three things make a mattress harder to get rid of than a bag of trash:
- It’s bulky.A single mattress can fill as much as 23 cubic feet of landfill space even after it has been compacted, so haulers keep it out of the compactor truck.
- It’s usually banned from the cart.Most curbside contracts exclude mattresses and furniture from regular collection and route them through a bulk-item program instead.
- It doesn’t break down.The steel coils and foam don’t compress or rot like food waste, which is the same reason 80 to 95% of a mattress can be pulled apart and recycled instead.
So the real question isn’t whether you can leave it at the curb. It’s which of the six routes below fits your situation, your timeline, and your budget.
Option 1: Let your delivery haul the old one away
If you are already buying a new bed, this is the easiest route by a mile: let the delivery team take the old mattress when they bring the new one. You are paying for a delivery either way, and most local mattress deliveries will carry the old set out of the house and haul it off on the same trip. No wrapping, no dolly, no drive to a transfer station.
Buying from a local, owner-run showroom makes this simple. Mattress Direct Oviedo delivers across Winter Springs, Casselberry, and Sanford, so the haul-away folds right into the drop-off — just ask about old-mattress removal when you schedule. Not sure it’s even time to replace it? Run through the signs you need a new mattress first. Replacing on a budget is easier with financing, and if you’re upgrading the whole setup, an adjustable base is simplest to add while the old bed is already being carried out.
Option 2: Book a county or city bulk pickup
If you’re not buying a replacement, a scheduled bulk pickup is usually the cheapest way to go. Seminole County collects large items like furniture on request through a Bulk Item Pickup Request Form, and residents inside Oviedo, Winter Springs, Casselberry, and Sanford each get curbside service through their own contracted hauler. Here’s how to book it:
- Find out who collects your street. Unincorporated Seminole County residents use the county’s bulk program. If you live inside a city, your pickup runs through that city’s hauler instead. Your trash bill or your city’s solid-waste page will tell you which.
- Request the pickup. Fill out the county’s Bulk Item Pickup Request Form, or call your city’s hauler, and give them the item and your address. Ask two things while you have them: which day they’ll come, and whether there’s a cap on how many bulky items they’ll take.
- Set it out the night before. Put the mattress at the curb the evening before your scheduled day so it doesn’t sit out for a week collecting rain.
Rules and any fees vary from one city to the next, so confirm the limits before pickup day rather than after.
Option 3: Drop it at the transfer station or landfill
Want it gone today and have a truck or an SUV? Drop it off yourself. Seminole County runs two facilities that take household bulk waste: the Central Transfer Station at 1950 State Road 419 in Longwood, and the Seminole County Landfill at 1930 E. Osceola Road in Geneva. Disposal is charged by weight under standard tipping fees, so a mattress and box spring add up to only a few dollars of weight — but call ahead to confirm current hours and rates before you load up.
Option 4: Recycle it
Recycling is the greenest route, because 80 to 95% of a mattress — the steel springs, foam, fiber, and wood frame — can be recovered and turned back into new products. The Mattress Recycling Council reports it has kept more than 555 million pounds of that material out of landfills by recycling over 14 million mattresses.
The catch in Florida: there is no statewide mattress-recycling law like the ones in California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Oregon, so there is no guaranteed free drop-off program here. Your best move is to ask the county transfer station whether they route mattresses to a recycler, or to search for a private mattress recycler in the greater Orlando area. If the mattress is headed for the landfill anyway, it’s worth one phone call to keep it out.
Option 5: Donate it (only if it’s clean)
Donation works only if the mattress is genuinely clean and still comfortable — and even then, many charities won’t accept used mattresses at all. Florida regulates the resale of used bedding, so most thrift stores and shelters either refuse them outright or require they be sanitized and tagged first. Call before you load it up: a wasted trip with a mattress strapped to the roof is far worse than a five-minute phone call. If it’s stained, sagging, or past about the eight-year mark, skip donation and recycle or dispose of it instead.
Option 6: Hire a junk-removal service
If you want it gone now and you’ll pay for the convenience, a junk-removal company will carry the mattress out and load it for you. Expect a single-item minimum — often in the ballpark of $75 to $150 for one mattress, depending on the company and where you live — so get a quote before you book. It’s the priciest option on this list, but it beats renting a truck when you have no way to move the thing yourself.
Which option should you pick?
Here’s the short version: if you’re replacing the mattress, let the delivery haul it away. If you’re not, book a bulk pickup when you can wait for collection day, drop it off yourself when you can’t, and pay for junk removal only when you’re out of time and options. This table lines them up side by side.
| Route | Typical cost | Effort | Best if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haul-away with delivery | Often free with a new mattress | Lowest | you’re buying a replacement |
| County / city bulk pickup | Usually included in service* | Low | you have curbside service and can wait for pickup day |
| Transfer station drop-off | Tipping fee by weight | Medium | you have a truck and want it gone today |
| Recycling | Free to low (varies) | Medium | you want the eco route and can find a recycler |
| Donation | Free | Medium | the mattress is clean and barely used |
| Junk-removal service | ~$75–$150 (get a quote) | Lowest, paid | you want it gone now and will pay for it |
*City curbside rules vary — Oviedo, Winter Springs, Casselberry, and Sanford each use their own hauler. Confirm item limits and any fees with your city before pickup day.
The single easiest move is to buy your replacement locally and ask the delivery team to take the old one. You skip the wrapping, the lifting, and the trip out to Geneva — the old mattress leaves the same afternoon the new one arrives.
The quick version
- A mattress can’t ride in your regular curbside cart in most of Seminole County — it needs a bulk pickup or a drop-off.
- Replacing the bed? Free haul-away with delivery is the cheapest route; ask when you schedule.
- No replacement? A bulk-item pickup from your county or city is the lowest-cost option.
- Drop-offs go to the Central Transfer Station in Longwood or the county landfill in Geneva, charged by weight.
- Recycling recovers 80–95% of the mattress, but Florida has no free statewide program — call first.
- Only donate a mattress that’s clean and lightly used; many charities won’t take one at all.
Common questions about getting rid of an old mattress
What’s the cheapest way to get rid of an old mattress?
If you’re buying a new one, free haul-away with delivery is the cheapest — you’re already paying for the delivery, so the removal rides along at no extra cost. If you’re not replacing it, a scheduled bulk pickup from your county or city is usually the lowest-cost route, followed by a weight-based drop-off at the county transfer station.
Can I recycle a mattress in Seminole County?
You can, but there’s no free countywide program, because Florida has no statewide mattress-recycling law the way California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Oregon do. Ask the Central Transfer Station in Longwood whether they route mattresses to a recycler, or look for a private mattress recycler in the Orlando area. When a mattress is recycled, 80 to 95% of it — steel, foam, fiber, and wood — is recovered.
Does the store take my old mattress when they deliver a new one?
Many local mattress deliveries include old-mattress removal, but it isn’t automatic everywhere, so ask when you schedule. At a small, owner-run shop like Mattress Direct Oviedo you can ask the owner directly — call 407-349-7053 to confirm removal before your delivery date.
How do I get rid of a mattress and box spring together?
All six options here apply to the box spring too, and most handle both in one trip. A delivery haul-away or a junk-removal pickup will take the pair at once; for a transfer-station drop-off you’ll simply pay by weight for both pieces. Tell whoever you book that it’s a mattress plus a foundation so they send the right vehicle.
Do I need to wrap the mattress before I get rid of it?
For a drop-off or a bulk pickup, bagging or wrapping it in plastic keeps it from getting rained on and shedding debris on the way out, and a few haulers require it. Wrapping also keeps dust and allergens contained while you move it through the house. It isn’t always mandatory, but it makes the whole job cleaner.
Is it illegal to dump a mattress in Florida?
Yes. Leaving a mattress on the roadside, in a vacant lot, or in a dumpster that isn’t yours is illegal dumping under Florida law, and the fines climb with the size of the load. With free and low-cost legal routes sitting right here, it’s never worth the risk.
Time for a new mattress? We’ll deal with the old one.
Mattress Direct Oviedo is an independent, owner-run showroom serving Oviedo and the rest of Seminole County. Come test beds in person — brands like DreamCloud are on the floor — and ask about delivery and old-mattress removal when you buy.