What Can You Throw Away In A Dumpster?
Key takeaways
- Furniture, carpet, drywall, lumber, cabinets, shingles and general household junk all go straight in.
- The prohibited list is short: anything that leaks, burns, poisons or holds pressure.
- A few items go in but carry a facility fee, including tires, paint, electronics and televisions.
- A refused load comes back to you, so it is worth a phone call before an item goes in rather than after.
What goes in without a second thought
Most of what comes out of a house or a remodel is accepted with no special handling and no extra charge.
- Household junk: bagged trash, clutter, furniture, mattresses
- Remodeling debris: wood, drywall, cardboard, cabinets, trim
- Roofing: shingles and felt paper
- Flooring: carpet, underlay, laminate, tile
- Yard waste: brush, limbs, leaves
- Appliances with the refrigerant already removed
What cannot go in, and why
The prohibited list is short, and it is short for a reason. Every item on it either damages the equipment, endangers the crew or is refused at the disposal gate. A refused load does not quietly go away. It comes back to your driveway.
- Liquids of any kind, including wet paint in an open can
- Fuels, oils, solvents and pool chemicals
- Batteries, especially vehicle batteries
- Anything under pressure, such as propane tanks or aerosols
- Asbestos containing material
- Medical waste
- Appliances still holding refrigerant
Goes in, but carries a fee
A handful of items are accepted and carry a disposal charge set by the facility. These are published rather than discovered on the invoice.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Tires | $15 each |
| Paint | $10 a gallon |
| Electronics | $30 |
| Televisions | $30 |
Mattresses are worth naming specifically, because people expect a charge. They go in with general household junk and carry no extra fee.
Heavy fill is a separate container
Concrete, brick, block, tile, dirt and rock do not go in the general containers. They are dense enough to exceed a legal payload long before the box looks full. The 7 yard exists for exactly this: fill material only: concrete, dirt, sod and asphalt at $350, booked by phone.
Load it so it can legally leave
Nothing may sit above the top rail. Heavy and flat on the floor first, bulky items on top, and break down anything that folds. It is the difference between one container and two.
Jack Reed
Jack writes for dumpster rental companies across the country, which means he has worked through hundreds of rate cards, tonnage models and local permit rules. That comparison is what lets these guides say whether a price is normal rather than just quoting one. The Middle Tennessee specifics come from William Shackelford, who runs the trucks.
Book A Container
Pick a size and book online any hour, or call and describe the job and we will tell you what it is likely to weigh.