1. Your city's bulky-item pickup
Burbank and the City of Los Angeles offer bulky-item collection for residents by appointment. It's usually the cheapest option, but you schedule ahead, the mattress has to be at the curb on the set day, and there are limits per pickup. Check your city's website for the current rules.
2. A mattress recycling drop-off site
California runs a statewide mattress recycling program (Bye Bye Mattress). Participating sites accept mattresses and box springs from residents; you bring them yourself. Look up the nearest site and its limits on the program's website.
3. Ask the store that sells you the new one
Many retailers offer to take the old mattress when they deliver the new one. Ask before you buy, and have the old one ready by the door.
4. Text Rigo a photo
If you can't wait for a pickup date or can't carry it down the stairs, Rigo takes it out of the bedroom, often the same day, and drops it where it gets recycled. One mattress is a fine job.
What not to do
Leaving a mattress on the sidewalk or in an alley without a scheduled pickup counts as illegal dumping and can bring fines. Wet mattresses or ones with bed bugs should be wrapped in plastic before anyone moves them.