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Chicago, Illinois

Mattress disposal in Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's current sanitation pages say to arrange a bulk pick-up with the Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent before setting out any large item. Those pages do not name mattresses. The city's July 2021 waste-strategy reports do. One defines bulk as items that cannot go in regular collection because of their size, and gives mattresses as an example, and says bulk can be requested through 311. The other says large items such as mattresses are picked up during garbage collection, and that residents can also submit a 311 request for on-demand bulk pickup. The garbage-fee FAQ says there is no additional cost for bulk waste collection. City crews serve single-family homes and buildings of four units or less.

Rules

Curbside allowed
Yes
Appointment required
Not published by the city
Limits
No page read on 2026-10-22 states a numeric cap on mattresses. Sanitation code page and residential garbage page: city crews serve single-family homes and apartment buildings of four units or less, and others must arrange for private garbage collection. Garbage Fee FAQ: Streets and Sanitation is the exclusive provider at residential properties with four units or fewer, residents receiving city collection cannot opt out, and larger residential and commercial buildings are not eligible. Garbage Fee page: buildings with five dwelling units or more pay a private provider, and the city fee applies to buildings with four dwelling units or less. Residential recycling page: if you are not in a one-to-four unit building serviced by the city, check with the building owner or property manager for the collection schedule. The July 2021 reports describe mattresses both as items that cannot be accepted in regular collection because of size and as items picked up during garbage collection.

Preparation

  • Sanitation code page: arrange with your Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent for a bulk pick-up before putting out any large item or extra load of trash, for example after cleaning a basement or attic.
  • Pollution Prevention Plan posted as PollutionPreventionPlan_20241220-1301.pdf: residents can arrange with their streets and sanitation ward superintendent for a bulk pick-up if they have any large items or extra load of trash, for example after cleaning a basement or attic. The plan says NPDES Permit No. IL0045012 was reissued with an effective date of April 1, 2024 and expires February 28, 2029.
  • 18th Ward Streets and Sanitation page: if you have bulk items that need to be picked up, contact the Sanitation Office before putting the items out to prevent a ticket being issued. The page does not say that ticket warning applies outside the 18th Ward, and it does not print the fine amount.
  • July 2021 Existing Conditions report: bulk means materials that cannot be accepted in regular collection because of their size, such as major appliances and mattresses. The same report says yard waste and bulk items can be requested for pickup through 311.
  • July 2021 Materials Management Strategies report: large items like mattresses, tires, and furniture are picked up during garbage collection to keep alleyways clear. Residents can submit a 311 request for on-demand bulk pickup.
  • Refuse carts page: all residential garbage is placed in plastic, lidded 96-gallon garbage carts supplied free to Chicagoans. No page read on 2026-10-22 says to bag, wrap, or seal a mattress, or states a set-out clock time for one.
  • Residential garbage page and grid garbage page: city pick-ups are weekly, Mondays through Fridays. Neither page says a mattress uses a different day.

How to schedule

  1. Check that the building gets city collection. The sanitation code page and the residential garbage page limit city crews to single-family homes and apartment buildings of four units or less. The Garbage Fee page says buildings with five or more dwelling units use a private provider.
  2. For a large item, the sanitation code page and the Pollution Prevention Plan say to arrange the pick-up with the Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent before setting it out. The Division and Sanitation Offices page lists district office addresses and phones. The grid page also says to call 311 or contact the local district sanitation office.
  3. The July 2021 reports use different wording. The Existing Conditions report says a mattress is bulk because of its size and that bulk can be requested through 311. The Materials Management Strategies report says mattresses are picked up during garbage collection and that residents can submit a 311 request for on-demand bulk pickup. Neither report publishes a mattress count, a bagging rule, or a set-out hour.
  4. In the 18th Ward, that ward's page says to contact the Sanitation Office before putting bulk items out, or a ticket may be issued. It prints the office at 1756 W. 74th Street, 312.747.3655, open Monday through Friday, 6 am to 2:30 pm.
  5. Do not put a mattress in the Blue Cart on the strength of the current recycling pages. The What Goes Where page does not name mattresses. The A-Z guide still posted by the city marks mattress and box spring as not accepted in the Blue Cart program or at recycling drop-off centers. The July 2021 strategies report says bulk items such as mattresses cannot or should not be managed through traditional curbside recycling.

Phone, app, or portal

  • Ward superintendent: Sanitation code page: arrange with your Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent for a bulk pick-up before putting out any large item. That page does not print one citywide phone number.
  • 311: Grid garbage collection page: call 311 or contact a local district sanitation office. The CHI311 page footer, read on 2026-10-22, lists 311 or 312.744.5000. The July 2021 Existing Conditions report says bulk items can be requested for pickup through 311.
  • Division and sanitation offices: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/streets/provdrs/streets_san/svcs/division_and_wardsanitationoffices.html
  • 18th Ward sanitation office: That ward's page says to contact the Sanitation Office before putting bulk items out. Ward Superintendent Derrick Curtis, 1756 W. 74th Street, Chicago, IL 60636, 312.747.3655. Monday through Friday, 6 am to 2:30 pm. Saturday and Sunday closed. The page does not say this office serves other wards.

Fees

Curbside
No additional cost for bulk waste collection. The Garbage Fee FAQ says that, and it says the $9.50 per dwelling unit per month garbage fee covers all garbage collection services at the residence. The Garbage Fee page also says residences that receive Department of Streets and Sanitation collection pay $9.50 per month per dwelling unit. Neither fee page names mattresses.
Notes
The July 2021 Materials Management Strategies report says companies like A Bedder World provide pickups in the Chicago area for a fee. That report does not publish the fee. No page read on 2026-10-22 publishes a separate city price for a mattress.

Drop-off locations

No Chicago sanitation page read on 2026-10-22 prints a drop-off address, hours, or phone for mattresses. The Residential Recycling Drop-off Centers are Far North Side, 6441 N. Ravenswood, and Near South, 1758 S. Clark Street, open 7 days a week during daylight hours, for Blue Cart materials. The A-Z guide marks mattresses and box springs as not accepted at recycling drop-off centers. Cook County's CHaRM Center, 15800 State St., South Holland, IL 60473, says its household and textiles drop-off does not accept mattresses. That page says the center is for Cook County residents. Hours printed there are every Tuesday, 8 a.m. to noon; every Thursday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Questions: charm@ssc.edu or 708-596-2000, ext. 2442. The page says the center may close for inclement weather.

Not published by the city

What's not accepted

  • A-Z recycling guide still posted by the city: mattress and box spring are marked not accepted in Chicago's Blue Cart program or at recycling drop-off centers. The guide's other columns run together on the mattress row, so this record does not copy a donation address from that row.
  • July 2021 Materials Management Strategies report: bulk items like furniture, appliances, and mattresses cannot or should not be managed through traditional curbside recycling or composting.
  • What Goes Where page: it does not name mattresses. It says private haulers for buildings with 5 or more units must accept listed household recyclables such as cans, glass, cartons, rigid plastic, cardboard, and paper. Mattresses are not in that list.
  • Residential recycling page: the two Residential Recycling Drop-off Centers take the same materials as the Blue Cart program, including paper, plastics, glass, and cardboard. The page does not name mattresses.
  • Cook County CHaRM Center, household and textiles: not accepted items include furniture, electronics, paints, mattresses, and cleaners or liquids. Commercial and industrial waste is not accepted. Materials may not be dropped off outside operating hours.
  • Sanitation code page: households other than single-family homes and apartment buildings of four units or less must arrange for private garbage collection. Garbage Fee page: buildings with five dwelling units or more pay a private provider.
  • Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility page: the published accepted list and the published not-accepted list do not mention mattresses. This record does not treat that facility as a mattress drop-off.

Other free options

Not published by the city

Sources

Last verified: 2026-10-22

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