Mattress disposal rules in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

The short answer

Mattresses are legal to throw away in every part of the metro; what the rules govern is how and when they go out. In the City of Cincinnati that means a bulk appointment and a curbside set-out no earlier than the night before. In Newport and Rumpke subscription areas it means wrapping and sealing the mattress in plastic. A JunkRabbit pickup skips both steps for $103 for a queen.

Why the answer depends on your address

The Cincinnati area spreads across three states and dozens of local governments. The City of Cincinnati runs its own bulk program with its own rules. Norwood, St. Bernard and Cheviot sit inside or beside the city but are separate cities with their own trash service, so the City's rules do not automatically apply there. The townships, like Anderson, Colerain, Green and Delhi, generally work through a trash contract or private subscriptions. Across the river, Newport uses Rumpke, and other Northern Kentucky cities have their own arrangements. Lawrenceburg, Indiana runs collection through its City Garage. That means two households five miles apart can have completely different mattress rules. Before you drag anything to the curb, find out who actually collects your trash. Your bill, your cart or your city's public services page will tell you.

City of Cincinnati: the rules that matter

The City collects bulk items only by appointment, scheduled online or through 311. Mattresses and box springs are accepted. Each appointment covers up to five items. Items can go out the night before the appointment and no earlier. They must be at the curb and reachable by the claw truck, which means clear of overhead wires, parked cars and trees. Nobody comes to the door or into the house. The City's list does not mention a wrapping requirement for mattresses, but wrapping is still kind to the crew and protects the mattress from rain. If the mattress is not out on time, or is placed where the claw cannot get to it, plan on it being left behind. A mattress left at the curb outside an appointment is no longer a collection item; it is just litter on your property.

Newport and Rumpke areas: wrap and seal

Rumpke is the dominant trash company in the region and the hauler for Newport. Its residential bulk rules say a mattress and box spring count as one item and must be wrapped and sealed in plastic. Newport adds that mattresses and upholstered furniture with bedbug risk must be encased in plastic. Bulky items are arranged by calling Rumpke at least 24 hours before your trash day. Newport carts go out from 5 pm the day before until 6 am on collection day. The wrapping rule is not a formality. An unwrapped mattress can be refused, and then it is sitting at your curb until you deal with it again. Buy a mattress bag sized for the bed before pickup week, and bag the mattress in the bedroom so it does not pick up grit on the way out.

Lawrenceburg and southeast Indiana

Lawrenceburg's City Garage collects items too big for the 95-gallon toter for free on Mondays and Fridays, by calling the garage. Same-day requests have to come in before 10 a.m. Unlike the Rumpke areas, Lawrenceburg says mattresses need no wrapping. The City Garage is no longer a public dump, so you cannot drop a mattress there yourself. Aurora, Greendale and the rest of Dearborn County have their own arrangements, and Rumpke serves residential curbside in the county, so check with whoever collects your trash. If you live just outside a city line, do not assume the city's program covers your street.

The rules that apply everywhere

A few things hold no matter which side of the river you live on. Do not leave a mattress beside an apartment dumpster unless your building explicitly allows it; property managers usually charge it back to the tenant. Do not leave one on a vacant lot, in an alley or at a park, which is illegal dumping in any jurisdiction. Do not put a mattress out days early, even if the forecast looks dry. If there is any chance of bedbugs, encase it before moving it through hallways or shared stairwells, because older Cincinnati buildings share a lot of walls. Check your HOA rules in places like West Chester, Mason or Independence, which can be stricter than the city about curbside items. And if you rent, read your lease before move-out week.

The flat-price route, with no rules to track

The crew carries it out from the bedroom, down any number of stairs, with no stairs fee and no wrapping requirement. A queen set with a standard frame is $143 + $68 = $211. A king mattress on a motorized base is $114 + $118 = $232. The order minimum is $100. The price is shown before you book and only changes if you approve.

Bedbugs: the one rule you should follow regardless

If the mattress has or might have bedbugs, the handling matters more than any ordinance. Encase it in a sealed mattress bag in the room where it sits. Then carry it out in one trip without leaning it against hallway walls or furniture. In an Over-the-Rhine rowhouse or a Covington multi-unit building, an unwrapped infested mattress dragged down a shared staircase can spread the problem to the neighbors. Tell whoever is picking it up so they can handle it properly. With JunkRabbit the price is the same either way, $103 for a queen. Do not leave it out for someone to take home, which is how bedbugs travel from block to block.

Frequently asked questions