What cannot be placed in a dumpster?

The good news is you can dispose of almost anything in a roll off dumpster. Below is a fairly comprehensive list of what cannot be placed in a dumpster. This holds true anywhere in the country. Local landfills are heavily regulated, which means certain materials have strict requirements when it comes to disposal.

What cannot be placed in a dumpster?

Refrigerators, air conditioners, electronics (televisions, computers, radios, etc.), tires, liquid paint, chemicals, cleaners, propane tanks, adhesives, medical waste, oil, gas, contaminated soil, asbestos, or anything else that is flammable or hazardous material.

At Trash Daddy we are experts in the dumpster rental industry. We wrote this article to help people understand what items are prohibited from going in a dumpster. There are two main reasons why these items listed cannot be put in a dumpster. The first reason is because some create a safety risk - i.e. flammable materials. The second, and primary, reason is because these items require a special method of disposal.

Flammable Materials

Anything that presents a safety risk cannot be put in a dumpster. This includes anything flammable like wet paint, oil, gasoline, adhesives, etc.. Bottom line - if it can easily catch fire, it cannot go in a dumpster. Landfill fires are fairly common occurrences unfortunately, which means these items are heavily scrutinized by all haulers.

Items Requiring Specialized Disposal

The one thing all of these items have in common is they all require very specialized methods of disposal. This applies in particular to hazardous materials like asbestos or contaminated soil. That kind of material can only be hauled by specialized licensed haulers/drivers, and it's very strictly regulated. None of these items can be dumped at the regular landfill location, and that is why they cannot go in a dumpster.

Penalties For Placing Prohibited Items In A Dumpster

You might think to yourself "what's the big deal - they won't notice if I put my old TV at the bottom of the pile in the dumpster". At Trash Daddy Dumpsters, we advise against that. In most cases if a hauler finds prohibited items in a dumpster, they will be facing a fine if they take it to the landfill. Or they might see it and offload the material themselves. Either way, the cost will be passed on to the customer that filled the dumpster, and the ultimate cost could be thousands of dollars, depending on the material. We would advise not taking that risk.

Conclusion

Almost anything else can be thrown in a dumpster. The list of items that cannot go in one is pretty small. Roll off dumpsters are by far the most convenient and affordable way to dispose of large or large quantities of junk or trash. If you think about anything hazardous or flammable or items with chemicals, like a refrigerator, you'll have a good idea of the items that are prohibited from going in dumpsters.

We hope this article was helpful. We have a full list of the most frequently asked questions relating to dumpster rental if you have more questions. Thanks for reading!