In This Guide
- Oregon's Mattress Stewardship Law
- What IS Illegal
- Oregon Mattress Sanitization Rules
- Legal Disposal Options by City
- The Recycling Reality
- The Easiest Path Forward
Oregon's Mattress Stewardship Law
California has one. Connecticut has one. Rhode Island has one. So does Oregon. Senate Bill 1576 (2022) requires mattress manufacturers to set up an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program that makes it easier to recycle unwanted mattresses and box springs.
The Mattress Recycling Council runs the Oregon program under a plan approved by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and collection began January 1, 2025. The program is funded by an assessment collected when a new mattress is sold.
According to DEQ, the law aims to increase mattress recycling, set up convenient drop-off locations in every county, reduce illegal dumping, and create recycling jobs. Collected mattresses are processed for renovation, reuse, or recycling.
To find a drop-off site near you, start at Oregon DEQ's Mattress Stewardship Program page. Transfer stations and haulers remain options when you cannot move the mattress yourself.
What IS Illegal
A recycling program does not make every disposal method legal. These are still illegal:
- Dumping a mattress on public or private land -- Same ORS 164.805 and ORS 459.205 penalties as any illegal dumping. Fines are substantial.
- Leaving a mattress next to a dumpster -- Even at an apartment complex or behind a business. That's illegal dumping.
- Burning a mattress -- Violates open burning regulations and releases toxic fumes from flame retardants and synthetic materials.
- Leaving a mattress at a closed donation center -- After-hours drop-offs at Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul are illegal dumping if the center hasn't explicitly authorized it.
The short version: you need to take it to an authorized facility, schedule a pickup, or hire someone to handle it. There's no shortcut that isn't technically a crime.
Oregon Mattress Sanitization Rules
Oregon does have specific rules about reselling used mattresses. Under Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 333, any used mattress offered for sale must be:
- Sanitized by an approved process (steam cleaning, chemical treatment, or UV treatment)
- Labeled with a yellow tag indicating it's been sanitized
- Free of stains, tears, and pest contamination
This matters if you're thinking about selling your old mattress on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Technically, you're supposed to have it sanitized and tagged before selling. In practice, enforcement of private sales is minimal -- but if someone reports you, it's a violation.
Donation centers handle sanitization themselves, which is why they're picky about what they accept. A mattress with a visible stain is getting rejected because the cost to sanitize it exceeds the resale value.
Legal Disposal Options by City
Portland Metro
Metro Central and Metro South transfer stations both accept mattresses, and Metro lists up to four mattresses or box springs per customer per day as free (check current rates). Most haulers (Waste Management, Republic Services) offer curbside mattress pickup for a per-item fee.
Eugene-Springfield
Glenwood transfer station accepts mattresses. Sanipac offers curbside bulky pickup. St. Vincent de Paul may accept mattresses in good condition.
Salem-Keizer
Republic Services and Pacific Sanitation both offer mattress pickup. Marion County transfer stations accept them.
Bend
Knott Landfill accepts mattresses. Cascade Disposal offers curbside pickup by appointment.
Learn about mattress disposal service. Enter your ZIP in the price box to see which services are available at your address. Ask whether the hauler can disconnect a wall bed frame or carry the mattress down several flights of apartment stairs.
The Recycling Reality
Mattresses are highly recyclable. A typical innerspring mattress contains:
- 25 pounds of steel (springs) -- fully recyclable as scrap metal
- 5-10 pounds of foam -- can be shredded for carpet padding or pet beds
- 3-5 pounds of cotton/fiber -- used as insulation or industrial rags
- Wood frame components -- chipped for mulch or biomass fuel
Up to 90% of a mattress can be recycled when properly deconstructed. The problem is that Oregon doesn't have enough dedicated mattress recycling facilities to handle the volume. Most mattresses that arrive at transfer stations end up in the landfill simply because there's no processing infrastructure.
Some junk removal companies sort mattress materials for recycling, so ask whether that is part of the standard process. It costs you the same either way -- but the mattress materials get a second life instead of taking up 40 cubic feet of landfill space for the next 30 years.
The Easiest Path Forward
If your mattress is less than 8 years old, has no stains, and no structural damage -- try donating it first. Habitat ReStore, St. Vincent de Paul, and Salvation Army all accept mattresses in good condition.
If it's past its prime, schedule a curbside pickup through your hauler or take it to your nearest transfer station. Or skip the hassle entirely and book a pickup and check availability for your date when you request a quote.
