No bulk liquids
A municipal solid waste landfill can't accept bulk or free liquids, or containers of liquid bigger than household size. Liquid is whatever fails the Paint Filter Liquids Test.1
40 CFR 258.28Liquid paint, solvents, fuel, drums
Nearly anything solid from a jobsite, a cleanout or a yard. What's left out is short and mostly set by federal rules: liquids, hazardous waste, refrigerant still in an appliance, and asbestos. A few heavy materials can go in, but on their own quote.1
Item by item
This is the general rule for a roll-off. Your provider and the disposal site they use have the last word, so anything in the middle column is worth a sentence on the order.
| Item | In a roll-off? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Lumber, framing, trim, cabinets | Yes | The bulk of most construction loads. |
| Drywall, insulation, flooring, tile | Yes | Drywall is heavier than it looks, so count it when you size the box. |
| Furniture, carpet, household junk | Yes | Light for its volume. These loads fill up before they weigh much. |
| Yard waste, brush, branches | Yes | Some sites want it kept separate for composting. Sod and dirt on roots add weight fast. |
| Asphalt shingles | Yes | Tell us the number of layers. Roofing goes over its included weight more than any other material. |
| Concrete, brick, asphalt paving, dirt | Yes, on a heavy-debris quote | Kept clean and quoted with more tons included. Mixing them into general debris can change how the load is billed. |
| Scrap metal | Yes | A clean metal load can go to a recycler instead of a landfill. Ask for a metal container. |
| Fridges, freezers, window air conditioners | Ask first | The refrigerant has to be recovered before disposal, with a signed statement that it was.2 |
| Tires | Ask first | 41 states ban whole tires from landfills and 10 also ban cut or shredded tires.3 |
| Mattresses, electronics | Ask first | Rules vary by state and by disposal site. Tell us when you order. |
| Liquid paint, solvents, fuel, oil | No | Landfills can't take bulk liquids. Used oil goes to a recycler.16 |
| Batteries, fluorescent lamps, mercury devices, pesticides, aerosol cans | No | Regulated as universal waste, with their own collection rules.4 |
| Asbestos | No, not in a general debris box | Handled wet, sealed, labeled and sent to a landfill that takes it, with shipping records.5 |
Where the no list comes from
States and local disposal sites can add to these. They can't take any away.
A municipal solid waste landfill can't accept bulk or free liquids, or containers of liquid bigger than household size. Liquid is whatever fails the Paint Filter Liquids Test.1
40 CFR 258.28Liquid paint, solvents, fuel, drums
Whoever is last in the disposal chain has to make sure it's recovered, and keep a signed statement saying so.2
40 CFR 82, Subpart FFridges, freezers, window units
Batteries, pesticides, mercury equipment, lamps and aerosol cans are collected under their own streamlined rules.4
40 CFR 273Batteries, bulbs, thermostats
Most demolition and renovation needs an inspection first. Waste is kept wet, sealed in leak-tight containers, labeled and tracked to the landfill.5
40 CFR 61, Subpart MOld insulation, tile, siding
Waste from normal household activities is excluded from federal hazardous waste rules. Leftover chemicals from a commercial job aren't household waste.7
40 CFR 261.4Paints, cleaners, oils, pesticides
What actually goes in
The material on every container our provider network delivered over the past two years. Each line is a material a provider quotes on its own.8
| Material on the order | Containers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Construction and demolition debris | 17,602 | |
| Construction debris mixed with junk | 6,484 | |
| Household junk and trash | 3,035 | |
| Clean concrete | 960 | |
| Shingles and roofing | 592 | |
| Clean dirt | 284 | |
| Scrap metal for recycling | 274 | |
| Yard debris and green waste | 233 | |
| Pallets for recycling | 146 | |
| Construction debris with turf | 145 | |
| Concrete washout | 133 | |
| Inert material, mixed or clean | 123 and 111 |
Also on the list, each under 1%: dirt mixed with concrete (72), asphalt paving (61), sod (52), concrete with rebar or wire (35), brick (26), sand and gravel (25) and dirt with stone (21). Materials on fewer than 10 orders are left out.
Why the material matters on the quote
A provider prices a container by where it's headed. Clean concrete can go to a crusher, clean metal and pallets to a recycler, brush to a compost yard, and mixed debris to a landfill or a C&D facility. Each one charges differently.
When the load at the gate doesn't match the order, the site charges for what it got. That's where most surprises come from, not from the item list. So say what's going in, roughly how much of each, and anything from the middle column of the table.
Where it goes instead
| Item | Try first |
|---|---|
| Household paint, cleaners, pesticides | Your city or county household hazardous waste collection.7 |
| Used motor oil | An auto parts store or service station that takes used oil. One oil change can contaminate a million gallons of fresh water.6 |
| Batteries, bulbs, thermostats | A retailer take-back or universal waste collector.4 |
| Tires | The tire shop that sells your replacements, or a tire collection event. |
| Fridges and freezers | The retailer delivering the new one, or a utility appliance recycling program. Either way the refrigerant gets recovered.2 |
| Wet concrete washout | A concrete washout container, not a debris roll-off. |
List the materials and anything you aren't sure about. We'll match the container and the disposal site to the load.
Questions
Liquids like paint, fuel and oil, hazardous chemicals, batteries and lamps, appliances that still hold refrigerant, and asbestos. Tires, mattresses and electronics depend on your state and disposal site.
Not liquid paint. Landfills can't take bulk liquids, and liquid is anything that fails the Paint Filter Liquids Test. Take leftover paint to your local household hazardous waste program.
Only after the refrigerant has been recovered. Federal rules require that before disposal, with a signed statement, so ask before you load one.
Usually not. 41 states ban whole tires from landfills, and 10 of them also ban cut or shredded tires.
Yes, on a heavy-debris quote. Keep them clean and tell us when you order, because they're quoted with more tons included than general debris.
The disposal site can refuse the load or charge for handling it, and the provider may pass that cost on. Ask before you load anything you aren't sure about.
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