Mattress Disposal in Polk County: Your Three Options

A mattress is the most annoying single item in a house. It's not heavy. It's just big, floppy, and the trash truck won't touch it. People in Polk County have three real ways to get rid of one. Here's how each works, what I actually read on the city pages, and when calling me makes sense.

What are the three options?

None of these is wrong. It depends on how fast you need it gone, whether you're buying a new one, and whether you can get a queen down the stairs yourself.

How does city bulk pickup work in Polk County?

It depends on which city you live in, and whether you're inside city limits at all. Much of the Davenport area, Four Corners and Poinciana is unincorporated, which means county collection rules, not a city program. Here's what the city pages say for three Polk County cities. I'm only repeating what I read; check your city's page for the current rules.

Haines City. The city's Garbage & Recycling page says bulk waste is collected on your regular garbage collection day, and it lists household furniture including mattresses and box springs as common accepted items. So in Haines City, a mattress at the curb on garbage day is the plan.

Winter Haven. The city's Brush & Bulk Pick-Ups page describes bulk pickup as an a la carte service for items too large for your garbage container, and says it's scheduled-only. You schedule through the city's Access Winter Haven system. The page also notes no bulk pickups are scheduled on holiday weeks. So in Winter Haven, you schedule first and then set it out.

Lakeland. The city's Large Bulk Pickups page says bulk collection, which includes mattresses, furniture and large appliances, must be scheduled in advance by calling or emailing the Solid Waste Division, and that fees apply based on volume and number of items. Mattresses, box springs and frames may be placed curbside once scheduled.

Davenport and Kissimmee have their own arrangements, and unincorporated Polk County addresses fall under the county's residential collection. If you're not sure who picks up your trash, look at the name on the truck.

The upside of city pickup: it's already part of what you pay for, or close to it. The downside: it happens on the city's timeline, you have to get the mattress to the curb yourself, and in some cities it costs a fee anyway. A mattress leaning against the garage wall for a week is the usual result.

Will the mattress store take the old one?

Often, yes. Many mattress retailers offer to haul away your old mattress when they deliver the new one. Some include it with delivery, some charge a fee, and most have conditions: the old mattress has to be ready, sometimes bagged, and they'll usually take only one for one. Ask when you buy. If you're replacing a mattress anyway, this is the easiest path, because the truck is already coming.

Where it falls apart: you bought online and there's no delivery truck. Or you're clearing a rental with four beds. Or the mattress has to go now, before the new one comes, because the room is being painted. Then it's option one or option three.

When does calling a hauler make sense?

When time or stairs are the problem.

• You need it gone today. Near Davenport, Haines City and the Four Corners area, single items like a mattress often go the same day you call before noon. They fit between bigger jobs.
• It's upstairs. A queen down a narrow staircase and through a front door is a two-person job with a real chance of scuffing the wall. My crew does it daily.
• There's more than one. Vacation-rental owners in Davenport and Kissimmee swap a whole house of mattresses at once. That's one stop for me and a headache for a city program.
• It's not just the mattress. The box spring, the frame, the old headboard, the dresser that's going too. Once it's three items, a single hauler trip beats three separate arrangements.

The trade-off is cost. A hauler charges a single-item flat price where the city might charge little or nothing. If you have time and a strong back, the city program is the frugal answer. If you don't, call.

What happens to the mattress?

Honestly: it goes to the landfill or transfer station with the rest of the load. I don't know of a mattress recycling program in Polk County I can point you to, and I won't claim one exists. Metal frames and box-spring coils get separated as scrap where the facility takes them.

What should you do before pickup?

1. Strip the bedding. Sheets and blankets are trash or donation, not part of the mattress.
2. Decide about the box spring and frame. Almost everyone forgets the frame until the crew is leaving.
3. If you're using the city, check whether you need to schedule and whether it must be bagged.
4. If you're calling me, text a photo and tell me the floor it's on. That's the whole quote process.

What Big Rob's does here

The mattress disposal page covers the pickup itself, and the single item pickup page explains why one mattress is never too small to call about. We pick up mattresses same day most days in Davenport and Haines City, and on scheduled runs to Winter Haven, Lakeland and Kissimmee.

One mattress, one price, one call: (863) 225-2147.