Crib Disposal: How to Get Rid of an Old Crib Safely

The safe way to dispose of an old crib is to take it apart, so no one can reuse it, and then send the pieces out through your town's bulky-item pickup, a drop-off site or a hauler. Don't sell it, donate it or hand it down unless you can confirm it meets current federal crib standards. The mattress usually follows separate rules. In Massachusetts, crib mattresses are covered by the state mattress disposal ban, so they can't go in the regular trash.

This guide covers each step: why most older cribs can't be passed on, how to disassemble one, what to do with the mattress, how to check your town's rules, and what to do when the town won't take it.

TL;DR

• Don't sell, donate or give away an old crib unless it meets current federal standards. Drop-side cribs can never be passed on.
• Disassemble the crib before it leaves your home, so nobody pulls it out of the trash and uses it.
• Crib mattresses are covered by the Massachusetts mattress disposal ban, so keep them out of the regular trash and use a mattress recycling route.
• Check your town's bulky-item rules first: some towns take cribs on a schedule, some charge per item, and some limit weight.
• If the town can't take it, a junk removal crew can haul the crib, the mattress and anything else in the nursery in one visit.

Table of Contents

• Why you shouldn't sell or donate an old crib
• How to disassemble a crib before disposal
• What to do with the crib mattress
• Can a crib be recycled?
• Check your town's bulky-item rules
• Perspective: why we take the whole nursery in one visit
• Promo: let us haul the crib and the rest
• After the crib is gone: the next safe setup
• FAQ
• Sources

Why you shouldn't sell or donate an old crib

It feels wasteful to throw out a crib that looks fine. The problem is that looks tell you nothing about safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says you can't tell by looking whether a crib meets the new standards, and that cribs made before the rule was issued in December 2010 are unlikely to comply.

The federal crib rules are codified at 16 CFR Part 1219 for full-size cribs and Part 1220 for non-full-size cribs. They took effect on June 28, 2011. They ban traditional drop-side rails, strengthen slats and mattress supports, and require more rigorous testing. The CPSC states that the rule applies to resale as well as new sales.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says the same thing in plain terms: the rules also cover resale at garage sales, online auction sites and donations to thrift stores. The AAP and CPSC encourage parents to check the CPSC recall list and to disassemble and throw away unsafe cribs. The AAP also notes that drop-side cribs were associated with 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths since 2000.

Donation centers have mostly closed this door too. Goodwill of New York and New Jersey lists cribs and other baby furniture as items it does not accept, and Goodwill SoCal's guidelines list cribs among unacceptable infant equipment. Local thrift stores set their own rules, so call before you drive over, but plan on the crib not being accepted.

One common shortcut doesn't work either. A drop-side crib with an added immobilizer or repair kit still does not meet the standards.

When a crib might be passed on

A newer crib that was manufactured to the current standard, with its paperwork or label, is a different case. If you know the model, check it against the CPSC recall list before you give it to anyone. If you can't confirm the date and model, or the crib has a drop side, damage or missing hardware, treat it as disposal, not donation.

How to disassemble a crib before disposal

Taking the crib apart does two jobs. It makes sure nobody reuses an unsafe crib, and it makes the pieces fit through a collection crew's rules. The CPSC recommends disassembling a crib before discarding it.

You need a screwdriver or Allen key set, a few zip ties or rope, and a trash bag for the hardware.

1. Remove the mattress and bedding. Handle the mattress separately (see the next section).
2. Take off the side rails and the mattress support. Unscrew or unbolt them. If a rail is a drop side, take off the sliding hardware too.
3. Separate the end panels. Headboard and footboard come apart from the rails once the bolts are out.
4. Bag the hardware. Put bolts, brackets and screws in a bag and tape it to one of the bundles. Loose hardware on the curb is a hazard for crews and pets.
5. Bundle the pieces. Tie the slats and rails together. Some towns require this. The City of San José, for example, requires cribs to be disassembled and the pieces tied into bundles, with each bundle counting as one item and a maximum of 60 lbs per bundle.
6. Confirm your town's rules before you put it out. Not every town wants furniture taken apart. Columbus, Ohio, for instance, asks that furniture be left assembled for curbside bulk collection. Reading your town's page first avoids a skipped pickup.

If your crib was recalled, follow the recall instructions first. In a recent South Shore Cribs recall (CPSC Recall #25-054), consumers were told to stop using the cribs immediately and contact the company about disassembly. For a refund they had to photograph the disassembled crib in an outdoor waste container and email the photo. Keep any photos and emails before you dispose of it.

What to do with the crib mattress

The frame and the mattress are handled differently, and this is where many people get a rejected pickup.

Massachusetts' mattress waste disposal ban applies to all sizes of mattresses, explicitly including crib mattresses. The state guidance says mattresses should go to a recycler that can recover all the components. It also says shredding a mattress just to recover the metal and wood is not considered compliant with the waste bans. It lists mattresses that are excessively torn, soiled, moldy, twisted, crushed, wet, frozen or infested with bed bugs as unsuitable for recycling, so keep the mattress dry and bagged until pickup.

In practice, a crib mattress is accepted with the full-size ones, often for a fee:

• Somerville, MA requires a $55 disposal sticker for each mattress or box spring before curbside pickup, and says all sizes from king to crib are accepted for recycling.
• Arlington, MA's recycling center accepts mattresses at $55 per piece, from crib size to king.

Those are two examples, not a statewide price. Your town sets its own fee and schedule, so check its page. For more on how the Massachusetts rules work, see our guide to the Massachusetts mattress ban and our notes on mattress disposal in Boston. If you'd rather hand it off, we also offer mattress disposal.

Note that a mattress program doesn't cover the frame. Arlington's drop-off center, for example, doesn't accept anything wooden, and wooden furniture goes out through curbside collection only. The mattress and the crib frame may need two different routes.

Can a crib be recycled?

A crib is mostly wood or metal with some hardware, so the parts have value as materials. Whether a given route will take them is local. Many towns send disassembled wood furniture through bulky-item collection, and a few have drop-off sites for wood or scrap metal. There isn't one national crib recycling program, so the question to ask is which of your town's streams takes a disassembled wood or metal frame.

A quick way to find out:

1. Search your town's website for "bulky waste" or "bulky items" and see whether cribs are named.
2. Call the department of public works and ask where a disassembled crib should go, and whether the mattress needs a separate sticker or drop-off.
3. Ask the hauler. If you use a private junk removal company, ask what happens to the frame. We donate and recycle whenever possible, but a crib that fails current safety standards is not something we would send to a donation shelf.

A caution on the mattress: if it's moldy, wet or stained, it may not qualify for recycling at all, which is another reason to keep it dry and wrapped.

Check your town's bulky-item rules

Bulky-item programs vary widely, and the details decide whether your crib gets picked up. Look for these on your town's page:

• Whether cribs are listed as eligible.
• How many items are free, and what extra items cost.
• How far ahead you must schedule.
• Weight and size limits, and whether the item must be disassembled or left whole.
• The time the item must be at the curb.

Some real examples show how much this varies:

If you live in Haverhill, the crib is on the city's list, which makes it the simplest route when you have a single item and can wait a few days. Newton's note about bed frames is a useful hint: towns often count a set of pieces as one item, so bundled rails and panels may cost you only one slot. Prices and rules change, so treat the table as a sample and use your town's own page for current terms.

If the town has a limit that you'll exceed, for instance a weight cap or a limit on the number of items, the rest needs a private service. Newton, for example, notes that items over its 150-pound limit require privately contracted service. Fayetteville, NC charges by the load, $100 per load for six or more items up to 20 cubic yards, and crews there collect a maximum of five items placed four feet from the curb. A full nursery clear-out can bump into limits like that.

Perspective: why we take the whole nursery in one visit

Most people calling us about a crib aren't only getting rid of a crib. They're clearing a nursery after a child has moved to a bed, preparing a house for sale, or emptying a grandparent's spare room. The crib is one of five or six things that all need to go.

Our view is that the safest crib is one that's been taken apart and sent out through a legitimate route, and that the least stressful route is a single appointment. Town pickup works well for one item. When there's a crib, a mattress, a dresser, a glider and a pile of bags, scheduling each through a different program turns a Saturday into a month.

We're a young, local crew, we're insured, and we offer same-day service for the towns we cover. We donate and recycle whenever possible, and we sort items so the usable ones go to a good home. A crib that can't safely be passed on is not one of them, and we will tell you so.

Easy

Promo: let us haul the crib and the rest

If your town's schedule doesn't fit, or you have more than a single item to move, our crew can take it. We handle furniture removal, including cribs, dressers and the rest of a nursery, in Lawrence, Andover, Boston, Lowell and Haverhill. We give free quotes, and the crew is insured.

For a bigger job, such as a whole room, an estate or a move-out, see our junk removal service, or get in touch through easyscrapofficial.com. Take a photo of the items, tell us what's coming out and we'll quote the job.

After the crib is gone: the next safe setup

Once the old crib is out, the room needs a safe sleep setup for the next stage. If the crib was replaced because of an age or recall issue, the AAP and CPSC encourage parents to consider a portable play yard as an alternative while they sort out a replacement. When a child graduates to a bed or starts climbing stairs, a babyproofing checklist is a good way to walk through stairs, anchors and other hazards before the room changes.

If you are also replacing a toddler bed or a bed frame, our guide to bed frame disposal covers how to avoid a rejected pickup. For other nursery furniture, see furniture disposal options.

FAQ

Can I donate a used crib to a thrift store or charity?

Usually not. Federal crib standards apply to donations as well as sales, and several Goodwill guides list cribs as items they do not accept. If you can't confirm that the crib meets current standards, take it apart and dispose of it instead. A call to the charity can confirm its own policy.

Do I have to take the crib apart before pickup?

It is a good idea for safety, and some towns require it, bundled with a weight limit. A few towns prefer furniture left assembled, so read your town's bulky-item page before you start. If you hire a hauler, ask whether they want it taken apart.

Can a crib mattress go in the regular trash in Massachusetts?

No. The state mattress waste disposal ban covers all sizes, including crib mattresses. Use your town's mattress recycling program, which may require a sticker or fee, or have a hauler take it to a recycler.

How much does it cost to get rid of a crib?

It depends on your town. Some towns include one bulky item free each week, as Haverhill does, while others charge per item, as Newton does at $20. A private hauler quotes the job based on what's being removed, so send us a photo and we'll quote it free.

Sources

• The New Crib Standard: Questions and Answers (CPSC)
• New Crib Standards: What Parents Need to Know (AAP, healthychildren.org)
• Goodwill of New York & New Jersey Donation Guide
• Goodwill SoCal Donation Guidelines
• Has this crib been recalled? Should I not sell it?
• City of San José Junk Pickup Program List of Acceptable Items
• Bulk Collection, City of Columbus, Ohio
• South Shore Cribs product recall
• Mattress Waste Disposal Ban & Recycling Guidance (Mass.gov)
• Mattress and Box Spring Recycling Program, City of Somerville
• Reuse & Recycle Center, Town of Arlington
• City of Haverhill Bulky Item Collection Program
• City of Newton bulky waste collection
• Bulky Item Pick-Up, City of Amarillo
• Bulky Items, City of Culver City
• Bulky Waste Collection Guide, Fayetteville, NC

Recommended

• Bed Frame Disposal: 6 Steps to Avoid a Rejected Pickup
• Swing Set Disposal: Your Options and How to Do It Safely
• Furniture Disposal Options: Where Old Furniture Can Go
• U.S. Dresser Disposal: Reuse It Free or Choose Same Day Hauling