Mattress disposal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rules

Curbside allowed

Yes

Appointment required

No

Limits

Two compactible furniture items per week. The residential rules use sofas, mattresses, and box springs as the examples. The bulk program's four-item appointment limit is a different service, and that service does not collect mattresses.

Preparation

• Residential rules: bag and seal mattresses and box springs in plastic mattress bags for curbside pickup. They do not have to be bagged if taken to a sanitation convenience center.
• Residential rules: compactible furniture, with sofas, mattresses, and box springs given as the examples, is limited to two items per week.
• Bulk Collection page: mattresses wrapped in plastic can be put out for regular trash collection. Unwrapped mattresses are not eligible for regular trash collection and are subject to fines. The page does not publish the fine amount.
• Residential rules, most of the city: from April 1 to September 30, set trash out between 7 p.m. the night before and 7 a.m. on collection day. From October 1 to March 31, set it out between 5 p.m. the night before and 7 a.m. on collection day.
• Residential rules, Center City (Vine Street to Bainbridge Street, from the Schuylkill River to the Delaware River): from April 1 to September 30, set trash out between 8 p.m. the night before and 6 a.m. on collection day. From October 1 to March 31, set it out between 6 p.m. the night before and 6 a.m. on collection day.
• Residential rules: an inhabited private property is eligible for city trash collection when it is a separate tax parcel, stays within the weekly set-out limits, and has six units or fewer, unless it is a condominium or co-operative that meets the city's requirements. A property that has more than six units is excluded unless it is a qualified condominium or co-operative. A property that already has private collection is ineligible.

How to schedule

1. Do not use the bulk-appointment calendar for a mattress. The Department of Sanitation's bulk page lists mattresses under items it does not collect.
2. For curbside collection, bag and seal the mattress and box spring in plastic, then set them out on your regular trash day inside the time window for your part of the city. Look up that day on the city's collection-day page.
3. Stay within two compactible furniture items that week. An unwrapped mattress is not eligible for regular trash and the bulk page says it is subject to fines.
4. Or take the mattress and box spring unwrapped to a sanitation convenience center. Residents need proof they live in Philadelphia.

Phone, app, or portal

• Regular trash day: https://www.phila.gov/services/trash-recycling-city-upkeep/find-your-trash-and-recycling-collection-day/
• Drop-off finder: https://www.phila.gov/recycling-donation-finder/?services=Single-stream%20recycling

Fees

Curbside

Not published by the city

Notes

The residential rules page, the bulk collection page, and the sanitation convenience center page do not publish a dollar fee for mattress pickup or drop-off. A 2017 city news post said convenience-center drop-off had no charge; that post is not used here because it is a dated seasonal notice, not the current service page.

Drop-off locations

The sanitation convenience center page says all six centers take unwrapped mattresses and box springs and are open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on City holidays. That page links to the city's recycling and donation finder instead of printing street addresses. Addresses and phone numbers below are the six Sanitation Convenience Center rows in the city dataset that finder uses (phl.recycling_and_donations), read on 2026-10-21.

What's not accepted

• The bulk-appointment program does not collect mattresses.
• Unwrapped mattresses are not eligible for regular trash collection and are subject to fines.
• Properties with more than six units are not eligible for municipal collection unless they are a qualified condominium or co-operative.
• Any property that has private collection is ineligible for municipal collection.
• Construction debris is not accepted at sanitation convenience centers.
• Commercial contractors and vehicles carrying commercial loads cannot use the convenience centers.

Other free options

Not published by the city

Paid options

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