The short answer
Mattress recycling exists, but Tennessee has no statewide mattress stewardship program of the kind a few other states fund with a fee at purchase. That is the whole reason this is harder here than people expect: there is no program paying for the processing, so wherever recycling is offered locally it generally comes with a charge, and you still have to deliver the mattress.
The flat alternative, carried out from any floor with disposal included: twin $82, full $94, queen $103, king $114, box spring $92, mattress and box spring set $143.
What mattress recycling actually involves
It is worth understanding why this costs money, because it explains every other part of this page.
A mattress is not one material. It is a steel innerspring or a block of polyurethane foam, a layer of cotton or felt padding, sometimes a wooden frame in the box spring, and a quilted fabric cover, all stitched and glued together. Recycling means a person cutting it open and separating those streams by hand, one mattress at a time.
The outputs have modest value: the steel goes to scrap, the foam can be reprocessed into carpet underlay, the wood can be chipped, the fiber can be baled. None of that covers the labor. So somebody has to pay the difference, and in states without a stewardship program, that somebody is you.
Why the free version does not exist here
Three doors people try, and what they find.
- Donation. Closed. Centers along Charlotte Pike, Nolensville Pike and Gallatin Pike will not take used bedding. Restricted resale and bed bug liability, and it is close to universal.
- Municipal recycling. Metro's collection rules depend on your service address and building type, and bulky items are not the same as the recycling stream. Check your current Metro guidance rather than assuming there is a mattress lane.
- Retailer take-back. The best of the free options when it exists. Arrange it at the point of ordering a new bed, not on delivery day, and expect conditions about size, disconnection and which floor it is on.
If a local drop-off or recycling event is running, it is worth using. Check what it currently accepts and what it charges before you load the car, because terms change.
What happens to mattresses we collect
We sort loads rather than sending everything to one place. Materials that have a recycling route take it, usable goods that a charity will actually accept get offered, and landfill is the last stop rather than the first.
What we will not do is promise you that every mattress is recycled, because that depends on what is running locally and on the condition of the item. A dry, intact mattress has options. One that has spent a week on a sidewalk in August does not, and pretending otherwise would be the kind of claim this industry makes far too easily.
The prices, and the one to take
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Mattress — twin | $82 |
| Mattress — full / double | $94 |
| Mattress — queen | $103 |
| Mattress — king / Cal King | $114 |
| Box spring (any size) | $92 |
| Mattress + box spring set | $143 |
When both are going, take the set price. $143 rather than $103 + $92 = $195 for a queen and its box spring, which is a $52 difference for doing nothing except selecting the right line.
Two twins out of a kids' room: $82 + $82 = $164. A queen set plus the frame it sat on: $143 + $68 = $211.
When the DIY route is genuinely worth it
It is, in two cases.
If you already own a pickup, the mattress is on the ground floor of a house in Bellevue, Hermitage or Donelson with a flat driveway, and a drop-off option is currently running at a price you have checked. That is a cheap afternoon.
And if you are replacing the bed anyway, because retailer haul-away arranged at the point of order is the one route that costs nothing and requires nothing from you. Ask when you buy. Almost nobody does.
Outside those two, the flat price is shorter, and it is the only version where the mattress leaves the bedroom without you underneath it.
Booking it
Tell us the size, whether the box spring is going, and what floor the bedroom is on. A king off the third floor of a Cleveland Park tall-skinny is $114, the same as one already leaning in a Madison carport.
No stair charge, disposal included, and the $75 per-visit minimum which every mattress size clears on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Is mattress recycling free in Nashville?
Generally no. Tennessee has no statewide mattress stewardship program funding the processing, so where recycling is offered it usually carries a charge and you deliver the mattress yourself.
Why does recycling a mattress cost anything at all?
Because it is hand labor. Someone cuts the mattress open and separates steel, foam, fiber and wood one unit at a time, and the scrap value of those materials does not cover the work.
Do you recycle the mattresses you collect?
We sort loads and take recycling routes where they exist and where the item's condition allows it, with landfill as the last stop. We will not promise every mattress is recycled, because that depends on local options and condition.
What is the cheapest way to get rid of a mattress here?
Retailer haul-away arranged when you order a new bed, if that applies. Otherwise flat removal: $82 twin, $103 queen, $143 for a mattress and box spring set.
Can I take it to a drop-off myself?
If one is currently running, yes. Check what it accepts and what it charges first, wrap the mattress so it does not get soaked on the way, and remember the carry down the stairs is on you.