How to get rid of a mattress in Metro Vancouver (2026 guide)

You can't put a mattress in the garbage in Metro Vancouver. Mattresses and box springs have been banned from regional garbage since 2011 because they jam equipment and most of a mattress can be recycled. A mattress found in a garbage load gets the whole load surcharged.

Here is every legitimate way to get rid of one in 2026, what each costs, and which suits whom.

Why can't a mattress go in the garbage?

Metro Vancouver's Disposal Ban Program lists mattresses as a banned material. If an inspector finds even one in a garbage load at a regional facility, the load is charged a minimum $80 surcharge, plus any clean-up cost (Metro Vancouver Disposal Ban Program). Leaving a mattress in a lane or beside a dumpster counts as illegal dumping, and most cities fine for it.

So a mattress has to go to a recycler. The only question is who takes it there.

Option 1: Drop it at a recycling and waste centre ($20)

Metro Vancouver's recycling and waste centres accept mattresses and box springs as paid recycling. As of July 2026 the fee is $20 per mattress or box spring, up to 4 per visit (Metro Vancouver 2026 fees). Centres that list mattresses in their visitor guides include:

• United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre, Coquitlam
• Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre, Surrey
• North Shore Recycling and Waste Centre, North Vancouver

The City of Vancouver runs its own sites, the Vancouver Landfill and the Vancouver South Transfer Station, which also take mattresses for a per-unit fee. Check vancouver.ca for current rates and hours.

Best for: anyone with a truck or a large van and a free hour. Watch for: a queen mattress won't fit in most cars, and a wet mattress is heavy and messy to load.

Option 2: Your city's large-item pickup

Several cities collect mattresses from the curb on a booked date. Who qualifies depends on who collects your garbage: houses on City collection usually do, some cities include apartments, and stratas with private collection often don't. Check before you book.

• Surrey: the City's free Large Item Pickup covers up to 6 items per household per year (8 with a registered secondary suite). Mattresses and box springs must be individually wrapped and sealed in clear plastic; the City gives out free bags at its Cart Storage Yard (14577 66 Avenue, weekdays 9am to 3pm) when a mattress is on your request. Book at surrey.ca (checked 11 October 2026).
• Burnaby: households on City curbside collection can book up to 3 items per pickup, or 6 per complex for apartments, condos and townhomes. Mattresses thicker than 4 inches must be wrapped and sealed in plastic. Book through burnaby.ca or at 604-294-7972 (checked 11 October 2026).
• Coquitlam: four large items a year for homes on City cart collection that pay the Garbage Fee; most stratas can't use it. Mattresses, box springs and toppers must be wrapped and sealed in clear plastic. Book with Waste Connections of Canada at 604-636-3521 (coquitlam.ca, checked 11 October 2026).
• Vancouver: the City's waste guide has no curbside pickup for big items. It sends mattresses that can't be reused to the Zero Waste Centre, the transfer station or the landfill, where fees may apply (vancouver.ca, checked 11 October 2026).
• Other cities: Richmond, Delta, Port Coquitlam, the two Langleys and others run their own programs with different limits. Each one's rules are on its city page (all service areas).

Best for: houses that can wait for a booked date and can get the mattress out to the curb.

Option 3: The retailer that sells your new one

Many mattress stores offer to take the old mattress away when they deliver the new one, sometimes for a fee. Ask before you buy. It's often the easiest option if you're replacing it anyway.

Option 4: Book a junk removal pickup

If you have no truck, live in a condo, can't wait for a booked date, or the mattress is upstairs, a junk removal crew is the fastest route. We carry it out from any floor, including walk-ups and condo elevators. Because mattresses are banned from the garbage, every one we collect goes to recycling, and the disposal fee is included in the quote.

A mattress pickup runs $69 to $99 per mattress. Adding the frame, box spring or other items usually costs less than booking them separately. See mattress pickup and removal or our full pricing.

Which option is cheapest?

• A house in Surrey, Burnaby or Coquitlam, and you're not in a hurry: city large-item pickup.
• You have a truck and one or two mattresses: a recycling and waste centre, at $20 each.
• You're buying a new mattress: ask the retailer to take the old one.
• You're in a condo, have no truck, or need it gone this week: a junk removal pickup.
• Several mattresses, e.g. after a rental turnover: junk removal priced by truck volume.

Common questions

Can I put a mattress out with my garbage?

No. Mattresses are banned from regional garbage, and a garbage load containing one is surcharged at least $80.

Is it cheaper to cut up a mattress myself?

Usually not. The steel springs and foam still have to go to a recycler, and the job is slow and messy. A whole mattress costs $20 to drop off.

What about the box spring and the bed frame?

A box spring is treated like a mattress: it's banned from the garbage, costs the same $20 at Metro Vancouver's centres, and Surrey and Coquitlam want it wrapped for their pickups. A bed frame isn't: Surrey, Burnaby and Coquitlam all list bed frames on their large-item pickups. We take the frame, box spring and headboard in the same trip as the mattress.

Do you pick up mattresses in Burnaby and Surrey?

Yes. We cover all of Metro Vancouver, including Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver.

Need a mattress gone this week? Call 604-348-7640 or get a free quote.

Fees checked September 2026; the Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Vancouver pickup rules checked on each city's site on 11 October 2026. Sources: Metro Vancouver Disposal Ban Program, 2026 garbage and recycling fees, and the recycling and waste centre visitor guides.