The short answer
The cash price of getting rid of a mattress in Virginia Beach can be zero if you use the city's bulky-item pickup and can meet its deadlines. A flat-price pickup costs twin $82, full $94, queen $103, king $114, box spring $92, or $143 for a mattress and box spring set, with a $100 order minimum. We recycle whatever we can from each load. Nobody can honestly promise that every mattress gets recycled, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
What recycling a mattress actually involves
A mattress is not one material. An innerspring has a steel coil core, layers of foam and fiber, and fabric ticking. A box spring adds a wooden frame and more steel. A memory-foam bed is mostly foam with a fabric cover.
Recycling means separating those parts. Steel goes to scrap metal. Wood can be chipped. Some foam and fiber can be reused in carpet padding or similar products. Contaminated, wet or heavily soiled material usually can't be reused, and it goes to disposal.
That last point matters in Hampton Roads. A mattress that spent a summer in a damp beach cottage in Ocean View or Sandbridge, or that sat through a flooded room in Lynnhaven, is often past saving. Humidity, mildew and water damage make recycling harder. A dry mattress from a Kempsville bedroom has a far better chance.
The region's waste authority, SPSA, has also started new sorting facilities under its SPSA SORT program, which aims to divert half of incoming waste. That changes what happens downstream, though it doesn't change what you need to do at your curb.
Route by route: what you actually pay
- Virginia Beach bulky pickup. The city's page doesn't list a fee. Your cost is planning: a request at least three days before your trash day, the 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. set-out window, and moving the mattress to the curb yourself.
- Chesapeake bulk trash. Mattresses are allowed, within one 4 by 4 by 10 foot pile per week, twelve times a year. Your cost is the same: timing and carrying.
- Self-haul. The Virginia Beach Resource Recovery Center doesn't list mattresses. SPSA facilities set their own rules and rates, so check them before you go. Add truck rental or borrowing, fuel, and two hours.
- Currituck County. Residents with a permit can bring mattresses to the convenience centers. There is no pickup option from the county.
- Flat-price pickup. $103 for a queen, carried out from any room, with disposal included.
The free routes are genuinely free for some households. They stop being free when you count a missed deadline, a weekend lost to a truck rental, or a deposit deduction.
The flat price list
| 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 |
| Adjustable Bed Base (Motorized) | $118 |
| Waterbed | $167 |
Each price includes the carry-out, loading, transport and disposal. There is no stairs fee and no same-day surcharge. Whether you're in a Ghent third-floor walk-up or a Red Mill ground-floor bedroom, it is the same price.
Worked examples from local homes
A Great Neck guest room before a PCS move. A queen set and an adjustable base: $143 + $118 = $261.
Kids' room in a Western Branch house. Two twin mattresses and one box spring: $82 + $82 + $92 = $256.
Downtown Norfolk condo. One king mattress only. That is $114, which clears the $100 minimum on its own.
A single twin from a Larchmont student rental. The twin is $82, which is under the minimum, so the visit is $100. Add a second item, such as a box spring, and it becomes $82 + $92 = $174.
These are the totals you see before you book. They only change if you approve a change, for example if you add a dresser once the crew is there.
How to give your mattress the best chance of being recycled
Keep it dry. That is the single biggest factor, and it is hard in this climate. Don't leave it on a porch or under a carport during hurricane season, which runs June 1 through November 30. Don't stand it against a garage wall where the slab gets damp.
Keep it clean. If you suspect bed bugs, wrap and seal it in the room before moving it, and say so when you book. It changes how it's handled, not the price.
Keep the parts together but separate. Take the frame apart if you can, but don't bag pieces of bedding with it. Loose linens and pillows are separate items.
Don't cut it up yourself. Removing springs at home is hard work, the coils are sharp, and there's no payoff for a household.
If it's in good shape, try to pass it on first. A clean mattress can help a family that just arrived on orders.
When paying for pickup makes sense
It makes sense when the timing is fixed. A PCS report date, a lease end in Town Center, or an ODU move-out week in May all set a deadline the city's bulky schedule may not meet. It makes sense when there's no curb to use, as in Oceanfront condos and Downtown Norfolk high-rises. And it makes sense when the mattress is upstairs in an old Norfolk or Portsmouth house with narrow stairs and a tight turn at the landing.
It also makes sense when the mattress is just one item. Pair it with a dresser or a couch and the visit covers all of it at the listed price for each item. A queen set and a standard dresser come to $143 + $126 = $269.
Get the exact number before you decide. Upload a photo on the instant quote page, and the total is shown before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a mattress recycling fee in Virginia?
We did not find a statewide mattress-recycling fee program in Virginia. Disposal is handled by each city's trash program, regional facilities, or private haulers. Check your own city's page for its current rules.
How much does it cost to recycle a mattress in Virginia Beach?
City bulky pickup does not list a fee if you meet its rules. A flat pickup is twin $82, full $94, queen $103, king $114 or set $143. We recycle whatever we can from each load.
Will my mattress definitely be recycled?
No hauler can guarantee it. Wet, moldy or soiled mattresses usually can't be recycled. Keeping it dry and clean gives it the best chance.
Is a mattress and box spring cheaper as a set?
Yes. A queen and box spring separately would be $103 + $92 = $195. As a set the price is $143. The set price applies to any size mattress with its box spring.
What if I only have one twin mattress?
A twin is $82, which is under the $100 order minimum, so a lone twin is billed at $100. Adding a second item, like a box spring or nightstand, usually makes better use of the visit.