You may have gotten notice from your local waste handling municipality, city or town, or your garbage hauler about how box spring and mattress disposal has changed. In Massachusetts and Connecticut, there are both old and new laws surrounding mattresses and the landfill. When you’re looking to dispose of your mattress, you can expect new obstacles and solutions, especially with the mattress recycling laws on the books in parts of New England.

Waste Disposal Bans on Mattresses in MA & CT

Both Massachusetts and Connecticut have waste disposal bans on file—restrictions on what can go in the trash and landfill. The reasons behind the bans are varied: some are designed to screen out hazardous waste, some to improve recycling initiatives, and others to avoid bulking out landfills. The third reason is the primary one behind mattresses and box springs: as the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) states:

“Discarded mattresses can be difficult to manage. They are expensive to transport, hard to compact, take up lots of landfill space, and can damage incinerator processing equipment. Yet mattresses are made up mostly of recyclable materials. Once disassembled, more than 75 percent of their components can be reused.”

Read up more on these bans in our blog, Understanding Waste Disposal Bans for Massachusetts and Connecticut.

How to Recycle Your Mattress in MA & CT

Below you’ll find options for disposing and recycling mattresses, box springs, sleeper sofas, and similar products in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Mattress Recycling in Massachusetts

Although the ban on mattress disposal in the Bay State went into effect on November 1st, 2022, you may be hearing about it for the first time now. On Mass.gov’s mattress recycling page, they offer three options for mattress recycling:

• Donation: Charities and other organizations may accept mattresses in good condition. See MassDEP’s Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory to find one near you.
• Retailer Haul-Away: If you’re getting a new mattress, many retailers will take the old mattress away when delivering the new one.
• Mattress Recycling Program: Your MA community may offer a collection or recycling program for mattresses. See the full recycling map for details.

Mattress Recycling in Connecticut

Connecticut has product stewardship laws in place for mattresses. Fees that are included in every purchased mattress are managed by the non-profit Mattress Recycling Council to facilitate programs to recycle mattresses in CT. Any Connecticut resident can use the Bye Bye Mattress program to dispose of their mattresses. They offer multiple drop-off locations, two recycling facilities, and your town may offer an annual recycling event. Learn more at ByeByeMattress.com.

While LeBoeuf does not offer mattress removal as part of our residential garbage hauling, dumpster rental, or bulk-item pickup services, we hope this article has offered information on the options available for you to dispose of or recycle your mattress. If you need help with other products, check the above links to find the right service for you. If you have other questions or are a current customer wanting to know more about what can and cannot be thrown in the trash, contact us today. We are at your disposal.