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By Nathaniel Leigh

Effective April 1, 2026

Mattress disposal springing into action at yard waste sites

Mar 25, 2026 | 5:05 PM

The City of Lethbridge’s waste sites will soon begin collecting mattresses and boxsprings.

Effective April 1, residents can drop off their mattresses and box springs at any of the City’s sites during regular hours as part of a new effort to prevent mattresses from being taken to the landfill.

“Mattresses are one of the trickiest items to manage in the landfill,” says James Nicholls, Collections Manager. “They are bulky and extremely difficult to compact. Springs and metal components can also become caught in equipment tracks and create operational challenges for staff.”

This new waste diversion pilot is built off the City’s Large Item Service, launched May 2025, wherein the Waste and Environment Department diverted 381 mattresses and 243 box springs from the landfill.

“Throughout the past year, we’ve seen strong uptake in mattress diversion through the Large Item Service,” says Nicholls. “Expanding to self service drop off at our yard waste sites builds on that momentum by giving residents a convenient mattress disposal option while easing pressure on the landfill.”

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When dropping off their mattresses, residents oversee their own unloading and can not receive assistance from site attendants until the items are placed on the ground.

Mattresses with clear signs of bedbugs will not be accepted and should be wrapped in plastic and taken to the Waste & Recycling Centre for disposal.

Collected mattresses will be sent to local recycling processors to be reused. More information about this pilot project can be found here. [https://www.lethbridge.ca/waste-recycling/]