Middlesex town pickup: from every week to three times a year
Middlesex County sends bulky waste questions back to each town. Its advice to residents is to call their own Public Works department, hire a properly licensed hauler, or pay to use a private transfer station. So the rules change at every town line. Here's how the towns we cover handle a mattress:
- South Brunswick takes up to three bulk items a week on your normal garbage day. In apartment and dumpster communities, they go next to the nearest dumpster enclosure or in the spot the development sets aside for bulk. The township says every mattress and box spring must be wrapped in plastic or put in a designated disposal bag.
- Jamesburg takes one bulk item a week with Wednesday garbage, within the Borough's weight limit for that item. The Borough's rule is that every mattress must be wrapped and sealed in plastic, and its hauler, Interstate Waste, won't pick one up otherwise. For more than one item, the Borough says to call Interstate at 973-623-7600, which may charge a fee.
- East Brunswick picks up bulk by reservation only, up to three items. Book at (732) 390-6984 or through the township's online form, which asks for a photo and a description. The township doesn't publish a mattress wrapping rule, but its bulk flyer shows a mattress at the curb wrapped in plastic, so wrapping it is the safe bet.
- Monroe offers one free curbside bulk pickup a year, by appointment only, from April through the end of October and subject to availability. It's limited to about one pickup-truck load. Book at 732-656-4575 or through Recycle Coach. The township's guide says to wrap mattresses and box springs in plastic and to keep metal and electronics in a separate pile.
- Sayreville collects heavy trash three times a year by zone, up to two cubic yards (about 3 x 3 x 6 feet) each time, with no extra pickups on request. Mattresses, box springs and futons must be wrapped in plastic. In 2026 the collection weeks were in April, July and October, with the last zone's pickup on October 22. The Borough hasn't posted its 2027 dates, so check the Borough's Sanitation Division page, linked in the sources below, before you set anything out.
- Spotswood picks up bulk, which it describes as furniture, windows and other large debris, by appointment only at 732-251-0700 ext. 8029. Set items out no sooner than the night before. The Borough doesn't publish a mattress rule, so ask about wrapping when you book.
- Old Bridge Township doesn't provide trash or bulk pickup. It's an open market, so residents hire their own hauler, and the hauler's rules apply. The township's Recycling Drop-Off Center, behind the animal shelter at 1 Old Bridge Plaza, lists mattresses and box springs among the items it accepts. It doesn't take furniture, sofas, wood or construction debris. Check the township's Recycling Center page, linked in the sources below, for current hours before you go.
Wrap it in plastic before it goes out
Plastic is the rule that catches people out. Jamesburg, Sayreville, South Brunswick and Monroe all say mattresses must be wrapped, and Jamesburg's hauler leaves an unwrapped one at the curb. East Brunswick and Spotswood don't put a wrapping rule in writing, but a wrapped mattress is never the wrong answer.
Mattress disposal bags are sold at hardware and home improvement stores. Slide one over the whole mattress, tape it shut, and bag the box spring on its own. Then keep both dry until pickup. A mattress that sits out in the rain soaks up water and gets much heavier for whoever lifts it next.
Check the limits before you drag it out. South Brunswick takes up to three items a week, East Brunswick up to three per reservation, Jamesburg one a week, and Sayreville two cubic yards per collection. A mattress, box spring and frame can use up a whole week's allowance.
The county landfill is closed to residents
Driving a mattress to the county landfill in East Brunswick won't work. The county says it's open only to licensed solid waste haulers and can't take deliveries from residential vehicles or anything else without valid NJDEP permits. There's also no county mattress drop-off: the county's recycling page has no mattress program, and its household hazardous waste days turn away appliances and furniture.
What the county does list is a set of private transfer stations that take loads from personal vehicles under 9,000 lbs (16,000 with a trailer), for a fee charged per load. The list doesn't say which stations take mattresses, so call first for days, hours and fees, as the county advises. It also names two stations in Monmouth County. The three in Middlesex County are:
- Republic/Midco, 92 Baekeland Ave, Middlesex (732-545-8988)
- Republic/Midco, 5 Industrial Dr, New Brunswick (732-545-8988)
- IWS, 986 Jersey Ave, New Brunswick (732-696-1215)
Town drop-off centers
A few towns run their own drop-offs for residents, and each has its own ID rules. Old Bridge's Recycling Drop-Off Center lists mattresses and box springs. Monroe's Recycling Center at 76 Gravel Hill Spotswood Road lists residential bulky items, needs proof of residency, and doesn't allow commercial vehicles or contractors.
Sayreville's Fort Grumpy at 3750 Bordentown Avenue takes bulk trash such as couches, chairs and wood with proof of residency, and turns away box trucks, flatbeds and commercial vehicles. Its page doesn't name mattresses, so ask before you load one. East Brunswick's Recycling Center is for residents with proper ID and residential materials only, and its rules don't mention mattresses either way.
No county mattress recycling in Middlesex
Middlesex County's recycling page lists no mattress program, and New Jersey has no statewide one: a Mattress Stewardship Act (S2359) cleared a Senate committee on October 8, 2026, but it isn't law. A used mattress is also hard to pass on under the state bedding law; our Monmouth County mattress guide explains it.
Or we'll haul it for you
Sayreville takes heavy trash only three times a year, with no extra pickups on request, and Monroe's one free bulk pickup a year has to be booked. If it's coming down from upstairs, your town's next pickup is months away, or the whole bedroom set is going, text photos to (855) 655-7552 for one upfront price.
Dominic works jobs alongside his crew. We carry the mattress, box spring, frame and headboard out from wherever they are, load them, and sweep up. Loads go to a licensed facility under our NJDEP A-901 license, and a metal bed frame is recycled as scrap when possible. Jobs have a $250 minimum, the price we quote is the price you pay, and same-day and next-day openings are often available.
We pick up across the county, including East Brunswick, Jamesburg, Monroe, Old Bridge, Sayreville, South Brunswick and Spotswood. Read more about mattress removal and furniture removal, see our guide to a missed bulk pickup, or book a free estimate. Next door in Monmouth or Mercer? See our Monmouth County and Mercer County mattress guides.
