Mattress and Box Spring Covers

You must seal any mattress or box spring in a plastic bag before you put it out with regular trash for bulk collection. This rule will help prevent the spread of bed bugs.

If you do not dispose of mattresses or box springs properly, they will not be collected, and you may receive a $100 fine.

The City does not provide mattress or box spring bags or covers. You can get them at department stores, home improvement stores, and moving supply centers. Bags can be any color except red or orange.

Set Out Instructions

Items must be placed at the curb or alley between 4 PM and midnight the evening before your appointment day.

If your items are not at the curb or alley at time of collection, you will need to schedule a new appointment.

Mattress Sizes

If you need to dispose of a mattress that falls under any of these sizes, you should schedule an appointment to have them removed.

These sizes are listed from smallest to largest:

• Twin
• Twin XL
• Full
• Queen
• King
• California King

These mattress sizes are generally larger than 4 feet by 3 feet. However, dimensions for these sizes may vary.

If necessary, you can cancel or reschedule your appointment up until 4 PM the day before your appointment. You must provide your Service Request number.

Requests for cancellation and rescheduling cannot be made online.

If you have already scheduled an appointment and have additional items you need to dispose of, or if someone else has already made a pick up request for your preferred appointment date, you can:

• Place your additional items curbside along with the others on the scheduled appointment date, OR
• Schedule a separate appointment for your other items on a different date

• If you scheduled an appointment and your properly placed items weren’t picked up on the day of your appointment, you can leave them out and file a missed collection complaint. Missed collection complaints are only accepted for customers who have a Service Request number. If you don’t have your Service Request number, make a new appointment.
   
• If you scheduled an appointment, but didn’t put your items out on the scheduled day, make a new appointment.
   
• If you didn’t schedule an appointment, you can leave your items curbside and make an appointment.

Note that items that are left out on private property are "unserviceable” and cannot be picked up by the Department of Sanitation. (DSNY). You must place your items in the designated area (curb or alley) in order for them to be collected.

To file a missed collection complaint, visit the Missed Trash, Recycling, or Compost Collection page.

In general, there is no collection on sanitation holidays, but that is subject to change. You can check back near the date of the holiday to confirm the collection schedule.

• If a holiday occurs on your trash or compost collection day, put your items out after 4 PM that day for collection beginning the next day.
• If a holiday occurs on your recycling collection day, put your items out after 4 PM the day before your next scheduled recycling collection day.

2021 Sanitation Holidays