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You're in: California › San Mateo County
Residents of the RethinkWaste service area: Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, West Bay Sanitary District, Ladera and the unincorporated County areas inside it (such as North Fair Oaks and Emerald Lake Hills)How to get rid of a mattress in San Mateo County, CA
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In the RethinkWaste area of San Mateo County, Recology picks up a mattress as one of two no-additional-charge bulky pickups a year, or you can drop off up to five mattresses free of charge at Shoreway in San Carlos.[2]
How do the official options compare?
| City or county option | Free or city fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Curbside bulky pickup | 2 a year, no additional charge | Recology customers |
| Shoreway drop-off | Up to 5 mattresses, free of charge | RethinkWaste-area residents |
Your town pickup (free)
The answer
To throw out a mattress in San Mateo County: In the RethinkWaste area of San Mateo County, Recology picks up a mattress as one of two no-additional-charge bulky pickups a year, or you can drop off up to five mattresses free of charge at Shoreway in San Carlos.[2]
Independent guide, not a government website. Confirm with your city or the linked official source before acting; rules and fees change.
🗓️ Pickup schedule
Schedule a bulky item pickup Call Recology San Mateo County at (650) 595-3900 or book online to schedule a bulky item pickup on your regular collection day[2]
Source: Location, Hours & Services - RethinkWaste · verified Oct 23, 2026. Exact days can depend on your address and holidays.
Step by step
- Book itRecology San Mateo County: (650) 595-3900[2]
- Prep itBag required: No rule found
- Set it out or drop it offIn the RethinkWaste area of San Mateo County, Recology picks up a mattress as one of two no-additional-charge bulky pickups a year, or you can drop off up to five mattresses free of charge at Shoreway in San Carlos.[2]
- Confirm firstRules change. Check the official page.
Other free options
FREE City & county options
What are the free ways to get rid of a mattress in San Mateo County?
Included with trash service: two curbside bulky pickups a year
- Recology residential customers get two curbside Bulky Item Collection appointments per calendar year at no additional charge, on their regular collection day. A mattress and box spring counts as one bulky item.[3]
- Appointments can be booked from February 1 through December 31. Unused pickups don't carry over to the next year.[3]
Free drop-off of up to 5 mattresses at Shoreway
- Residents can drop off up to five mattresses free of charge in one visit at the Shoreway Environmental Center's Transfer Station, through the Bye Bye Mattress program.[2]
- Shoreway's rate list shows residential mattresses at the Transfer Station, limit 5, free of charge. People from outside the RethinkWaste service area must pay a fee.[1]
Commercial mattresses cost $20.00 each at the Shoreway Transfer Station.[1]
Extra bulky pickups beyond your two a year can be requested for a fee.[3]
Shoreway Environmental Center is at 333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos (use Gate #1). The Transfer Station is open Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.[1]
Shoreway is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.[1]
Tenants in multi-family buildings should ask their property manager to schedule a pickup.[3]
This applies to the area Recology San Mateo County serves: Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, the West Bay Sanitary District, Ladera and unincorporated County areas inside the RethinkWaste Service Area.[4]
Can I give it away or swap it in San Mateo County?
We list local swap shops, groups and swap meets only after confirming their own page is active. None confirmed yet for San Mateo County.
Donate it / sell it yourself
If it's clean and usable (check your donation group's rules on mattresses), try these official directories:
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Donate furniture, appliances and building materials. Find your nearest ReStore and ask whether it offers pickup.
- Salvation Army donation pickup: Schedule a free pickup where it's offered, using the official scheduler.
- Pickup Please (Vietnam Veterans of America): Free donation pickup in its service areas. Check your ZIP.
- Buy Nothing Project: Gift-economy groups for your neighborhood. Join through the official site or app.
- Freecycle: Find your local Freecycle group in the official directory.
- Craigslist "free" section: Pick your city in Craigslist's official site list, then go to for sale → free.
Organization names belong to their owners. Get Rid Map isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them, and we earn nothing from these links.
Charity pickups for San Mateo County
We found no charity pickup program whose own page lists San Mateo County. Try the locators below.
Other places to ask about furniture pickup (we didn't check their coverage for San Mateo County):
- Goodwill locator: Finds the local Goodwill for your area. Ask it whether it does pickups and which furniture it takes. Checked by us: · Source last updated: no date shown
- St. Vincent de Paul conference locator: Finds your local St. Vincent de Paul group. Ask it about furniture pickup. Checked by us: · Source last updated: no date shown
- Furniture Bank Network directory: Directory of furniture banks. Each bank has its own rules; check before you book. Checked by us: · Source last updated: no date shown
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore donations: Habitat's page says "many Habitat ReStores offer free pickup of large items, including furniture pickup". Use its ReStore finder for yours. Checked by us: · Source last updated: no date shown
Selling it yourself? People sell items on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. To give it away instead, use the Craigslist "free" section listed above.
Hire someone to haul it away
Junk removal options in San Mateo County
PAID Partner Optional services from independent partners
Optional paid help from independent partners. We may earn a commission. The free options above are what your city provides; nothing here is required. Partners are independent businesses we don't endorse; check their licensing and insurance. Partner listing terms · Disclosure
Junk removal pickup
If you prefer someone to carry it out from inside your home, independent junk-removal companies offer that as an optional paid service.
Junk removal quotes (coming later)
We may add a way to compare optional quotes from independent companies here.
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FAQ
How do I get a mattress picked up?
Call Recology San Mateo County at (650) 595-3900 to book one of your two on-call bulky pickups a year at no additional cost.[2]
Can I drop a mattress off myself?
Yes. Up to five residential mattresses per visit are free of charge at the Shoreway Transfer Station, 333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos.[1]
Sources (4 official pages, checked Oct 23, 2026)
- RethinkWaste (South Bayside Waste Management Authority), “Location, Hours & Services - RethinkWaste.” https://rethinkwaste.org/shoreway-environmental-center/location-hours/. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
- RethinkWaste (South Bayside Waste Management Authority), “Single Family FAQs - RethinkWaste.” https://rethinkwaste.org/residents/single-family/faqs/. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
- Recology (San Francisco franchised hauler), “Bulky Item Collection - Recology San Mateo County.” https://www.recology.com/recology-san-mateo-county/bulky-items/. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
- County of San Mateo Office of Sustainability, March 2026, “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Guide For San Mateo County.” https://www.smcsustainability.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-03-09-Reduce-Reuse-and-Recycle-Guide-Web.pdf (PDF). Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Each numbered citation [n] above links to its source. Last checked Oct 23, 2026. Rules change, so confirm before you set anything out.
Verification: Full official page read Oct 23, 2026