NEW BEDFORD New Bedford properties can now set out two bulky items a week for free instead of three, and each mattress or box spring left at the curb costs $25, under rules that took effect Nov. 1.
Residents can schedule up to three more bulky items a week for $10 apiece beyond the two free ones, the city said in a notice announcing the changes. Televisions, furniture and white goods all count as bulky items. Every item has to be scheduled with Capitol Waste Services and set out by 7 a.m. on the property's regular trash day.
The free limit counts per property, the notice says. The mattress fee was $10 per item in April 2025, according to an archived copy of the city's mattress page.
What it costs now
| Set out | Cost |
|---|---|
| One or two bulky items | Free |
| Three bulky items | $10 |
| Four bulky items | $20 |
| Five bulky items, the most allowed | $30 |
| One mattress or one box spring | $25 |
| A mattress and a box spring | $50 |
Mattresses and box springs carry their own fee of $25 each, and the notice says they must be bagged or wrapped in 3 to 4 mil plastic before they go to the curb. The city did not respond by noon Friday to questions about why it made the changes and when the mattress fee last went up.
Anyone with a worn chair or cushion can also try a repair on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the free Community Repair and Swap Day at Keith Middle School, 225 Hathaway Blvd., from 10 a.m. to noon.
How neighbors charge
Fall River's bulky item program charges $12 for one to three items and $50 each for a mattress or box spring, with separate prices for items such as refrigerators, $13, and televisions, $10 to $20, the city's fee page says. Seekonk charges $65 for a mattress or box spring and Swansea $35 for a tag covering one curbside bulky item, according to our Oct. 28 town-by-town look at trash fees.
Veterans Day changes the week
There is no trash, recycling, bulky item or yard waste collection on Wednesday, Nov. 11, the city says. Monday and Tuesday routes stay on schedule that week, and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday routes run one day late. The Recycling Center at 1103 Shawmut Ave. is also closed Nov. 11.
How to book
Appointments and payment go through Capitol Waste Services at 855-533-3400 or capitolws.com. Questions about the changes go to the city's Department of Facilities and Fleet Management at 508-979-1520.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact comes from the City of New Bedford's notice of the changes and its Veterans Day collection notice, an Internet Archive copy of the city's mattress page from April 4, 2025, the City of Fall River's fee page and our earlier stories on trash fees and the repair day. We computed the totals in the table from the city's charges and checked each date and weekday against a calendar.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (6)
- City of New Bedford, "Announcement": changes to curbside collection of scheduled items effective Nov. 1, 2026 (PDF)City of New Bedford. Two free items per property each week, down from three; up to three more at $10 per item; televisions, white goods and furniture; mattress or box spring fee to $25; bagging or wrapping rule; 7 a.m. curb time; Capitol Waste Services and department contacts. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- Internet Archive copy of the city's Mattresses/Box Springs Pick-up page, April 4, 2025Internet Archive. Per dwelling unit limit, three-family example, $10 per item, as the page read April 4, 2025. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- City of New Bedford, 2026 Veterans Day notice, Solid Waste and Recycling Collection (PDF)City of New Bedford. No collection Nov. 11; Monday and Tuesday routes on schedule; later routes one day late; Recycling Center closed. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- City of Fall River: Bulky ItemsCity of Fall River. Fee list. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- South Coast 360: South Coast trash fees town by town (Oct. 28, 2026)Seekonk and Swansea figures. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- South Coast 360: New Bedford free repair and swap day, Keith Middle School (Nov. 7, 2026)Date, time and place of the repair day. Read Nov. 7, 2026.