Mattress disposal in Canada (2026): what your city takes, fees, recycling and pickup

Mattress disposal in Canada is a city-by-city job: Toronto and Peel Region pick mattresses up at the curb for free, Hamilton, Surrey and Burnaby do if you book and wrap them, and Calgary, Edmonton and Metro Vancouver want them dropped off, for $19 to $20 each in Edmonton and Metro Vancouver. If your new mattress came from Costco, the old one is still yours to deal with, so plan it before the delivery.

How do you get rid of an old mattress?

• City curb pickup: free or included in your waste fees in several cities, sometimes by booking.
• City drop-off: a depot, Eco Station or recycling area, usually for a fee.
• A recycler: private recyclers take mattresses for a fee, such as Re-Matt, which the City of Calgary points to.
• A helper or junk removal company: they carry it out and take it away, for a price you agree.
• Reuse: a clean mattress can go to a friend or a local listing; most charity stores won't take one.

What does your city do with old mattresses?

From each city's own waste pages, checked October 28, 2026, in the provinces where Flatcart is launching:

Rules for apartments and condos are often different, and Hamilton's online booking isn't open to town homes. Check your city's page before you set anything out: Toronto, Peel, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Metro Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby.

How do you prepare a mattress for pickup?

• Wrap it when your city asks: Hamilton takes no mattress or box spring that isn't wrapped and sealed in plastic, Surrey wants each one in a clear sealed bag (free bags from its Cart Storage Yard at 14577 66 Ave, weekdays 9 to 3, with your service request number), and Burnaby wants anything over 4 inches thick sealed in plastic.
• Bed bugs: Toronto asks for an infested mattress to be wrapped completely in plastic, and suggests slashing it so no one takes it home.
• Timing: Toronto and Peel want it out by 7 a.m. on collection day; Hamilton collects booked items on your collection day about two weeks after an online request.
• Size limits: Hamilton takes up to four items per booking, each under 90 kg.

Can you recycle a mattress?

In Metro Vancouver you have to: mattresses have been banned from its disposal facilities since 2011, and its recycling areas take up to four per load, at $20 each from July 1, 2026 (Metro Vancouver). Elsewhere it's a choice: Calgary points to Re-Matt, a local recycler (fees may apply), and suggests asking your mattress retailer whether it runs a recycling program. We found no province with a mattress recycling program funded by the industry, so recycling is paid for by the fee you pay at drop-off.

Will Costco take your old mattress away?

We couldn't confirm that it does. We found no reliable Canadian source saying Costco removes an old mattress when it delivers a new one, so plan on doing it yourself, or ask before you order. Costco.ca does haul away the old unit on select appliances; see when Costco takes your old appliance. For the new mattress itself, see Costco mattresses and, if it doesn't work out, how to return one.

Can you donate a used mattress?

Rarely. Habitat for Humanity ReStores list mattresses among the things they won't accept (Habitat). The City of Calgary suggests asking local charities such as Women in Need Thrift Stores and the Calgary Drop-In Centre, or passing a good mattress to family or friends. Call before you load it up: most charities turn away used mattresses for hygiene reasons.

What does mattress removal cost?

It depends on who does the carrying. City curb pickup is free or already in your waste fees where it's offered. Drop-off costs $19 at an Edmonton Eco Station and $20 in Metro Vancouver, and Toronto charges by weight at its depots, with a $40 minimum deposit. A helper or junk removal company adds labour: junk removal in Canada averages $80 for a quarter truckload, and one mattress is usually a minimum charge; see junk removal and haul-away. If you need the new one carried in and the old one taken out on the same visit, ask for mattress help. Have a truck and want this kind of work? See earning as a local helper, compared with TaskRabbit.