How to get rid of a mattress in Haverhill, MA.

Companies that come to your home and carry the mattress out, so you need no vehicle. The prices below are starting prices unless stated — stairs, box springs and extra items add to them.

Most charities will not take a used mattress. These are the ones we checked, including the ones that say no.

• The Salvation Army (satruck.org): accepted-items list includes 'Mattresses' and beds; also says local ordinances and need vary by location and to call 1-800-SA-TRUCK to confirm what a local center accepts. Source
• Doesn’t take mattresses. Habitat for Humanity national ReStore guide: 'Mattresses and box springs are not accepted.' Source

Policies vary by branch. Call before you carry one over — we asked each of the big three directly: Goodwill, the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity.

What we established about this city in particular — including where it runs nothing of its own and residents have to look elsewhere.

• Not an option: Haverhill gives every household a free bulky collection every week and excludes bedding from it by name. The city's Bulky Items page says "Each eligible household is allowed one (1) FREE bulk item per week", covering "All bulk items (couches, desks, etc.)", collected by Capitol Waste Services on 1-844-377-1718, and that a resident "MUST call at least two (2) business days in advance of your trash collection day" and "place your bulk item curbside by 6:00 am on the day of its collection". The exclusion is printed on the same page: "Does not include mattresses and box springs". A Haverhill resident who reads "one free bulk item per week" and assumes a mattress counts is wrong, and the answer is the $38 UTEC booking or the $25 drive to 95 Downing Avenue. Source
• Haverhill's Board of Health rules, adopted under M.G.L. c. 111, s. 31B and amended to take effect April 15, 2016, set the timing and the fine almost nobody publishes. Section 4.D: household trash and recyclables "must not be placed at the curb before 4:00 p.m. on the day before collection and must be on the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day in order to be picked up", with containers returned to storage "no later than 11:59 p.m. on the day of collection". Section 3 defines a "Bulky Item" as "an individual item too large or too heavy for a City-Issued Cart of 64 gallons or 96 gallons when assembled and not broken down", giving as examples "beds, mattresses, sofas, chairs, couches, tables, bureaus, and the like". Section 11 requires an appointment for every one of them: "A Bulky Item will not be collected if an appointment has not been scheduled and arrangements have not been made to pay applicable fees", and section 11.C forbids breaking one up to fit a cart. Section 16.A sets the penalty: "Any person who fails to comply with these rules and regulations shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than three hundred dollars ($300.00) for each offense. Each day's failure to comply with these rules and regulations shall constitute a separate offense." Eligibility for city carts is by assessor land-use code: single family, condominium at least 60% owner occupied, two family, three family and apartments of four to eight units, capped at eight carts per residential building. Section 13 bars scavenging from carts but says the intent is "not to prohibit anyone from taking Bulky Items placed at the curb for collection", and the city will not refund a fee if someone else takes the item first. Source Not confirmed: These regulations were last amended in 2016 and still list mattresses among the bulky items the city collects; the city's current Bulky Items page excludes mattresses and box springs, and the regulations have not been updated to match

• State survey labels Concord Event, while its primary mattress page provides recurring appointment drop-off and monthly pickup. Keep the incoming event label as historical survey evidence; it must not restrict current research to events. Source
• Residents outside served towns may arrange drop-off: $30 per unit, generally Tue/Thu 8:30am-2:30pm. Receiving address supplied only after email. Page describes facility in Lawrence; original national directory lists Haverhill. Source
• FAQ says $35 at both branches and gives resale Mon-Sun 9am-7pm, conflicting with service page $40 and Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; FAQ also states Mon-Sat 9am-5pm elsewhere. Resale ZIP 02744 differs from service page 02745. FAQ allows arranged disposal of non-recyclable units for extra fee; service page rejects them at pickup. Recycling recovers 75-80% by weight, not guaranteed complete diversion. Source
• Fitchburg operator closes 3pm versus MRC card 126 3:30pm. Operator charges drop-off fees; card labels free drop-off but separately says not a program participant and fees may apply. Preserve contradictory directory fields without promoting a free service. Source
• MassDEP: effective November 1, 2022, mattresses are banned from disposal or transport for disposal in Massachusetts. MassDEP offers municipalities a Contaminated Mattress Certification Form, bill-of-lading example, and ban-compliance guidance. Source
• MassDEP resident guidance: donate good-condition mattresses via the MassDEP Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory, use retailer haul-away on delivery, or contact the local health, public works, or recycling department about town collection. Municipalities may use Recycling Dividends Program funds and statewide contract FAC90 for mattress recycling. Source
• MassDEP says most furniture and mattress sellers accept old mattresses for recycling/disposal when delivering new ones; framed as advice, not a statutory retailer take-back mandate. Source
• No Massachusetts mattress stewardship program is in effect. H.1023 (194th session, An Act to establish a mattress recycling program) was reported favorably and referred to House Ways and Means on August 11, 2025; no enactment shown. Source