What Can’t Go in a Dumpster? (Never vs Restricted, Bag vs Box)

The hauler’s list is not the landfill’s list. A Bagster’s list is not a roll-off’s. Ask for this load.


You are about to throw a fridge and a can of paint in the box. Stop.

The booking email, the Bagster FAQ, and the transfer station you never see are three different documents. Dumpsters.com publishes a national “never” list for their roll-offs, then a second list that changes by market. Waste Management’s Bagster pages ban appliances and electronics outright. Hometown and Angi still say some appliances and some electronics go in some dumpsters. Those are not errors. They are different companies, dumping at different landfills.

There is no universal dumpster law on this page. Local list wins. Get the prohibited-items sheet for this zip, this landfill, this container — bag or steel — before the first can goes over the wall.

This is the dedicated what-not-to-toss URL. It is not a quote form. It is not a reprint of kitchen guts, roof squares × layers, a house-cleanout furniture table, a concrete lb/cy table, overage vs overfill fee tables, the permit clerk process, the junk-vs-crew labor tree, or the 14-foot vs 22-foot driveway fight. Short pointers to those ten pages are at the bottom.

Dollar bands below are that publisher’s, dated to the fetch, shown separately. Do not average them into “a prohibited item costs $X.” There isn’t a national rate on this page.


Three lists, not one law

The hauler’s list is in the service agreement. Dumpsters.com (prohibited-items page, still live): when you rent with them, they give you the prohibited list for your area in that agreement. Hometown (updated November 3, 2025): most rental companies dump at a local landfill and have to follow that site’s rules; ask the provider which items are banned at the landfill they plan to use. Angi (updated July 9, 2026): every company and city sets its own rules; check that company’s unique list.

The landfill’s list is why the hauler’s list exists. A mattress fee, a yard-waste split, a dirt ban — those are usually the facility, not a national statute this page invented.

The bag’s list is WM’s. Official Bagster FAQ (fetched this pass): if unacceptable items are in the bag, they will not collect, you dispose of the materials, and additional fees may apply. That list is stricter than many roll-offs on appliances and electronics. Same pile, different product.

If two quotes disagree about the fridge, they are not arguing about cubic yards. They are arguing about two landfills.


Never — Dumpsters.com’s list, shown as theirs

Dumpsters.com’s prohibited-items page, fetched August 30, 2026, has a section titled “Prohibited Items.” Their wording: the following materials are never allowed in a roll-off dumpster, no matter where you live. That is their national never-list for their boxes. It is not a federal landfill code, and it is not Hometown’s page. Other publishers disagree on a few rows (hot water heaters, some electronics). Keep it labeled.

From that Dumpsters.com never-list, still live:

Item Why they say no (their language, compressed) What they point you to instead
Vehicle batteries Can leak harmful chemicals Recycler or auto shop
Lithium batteries Flammability; fire risk. They name cell phones, laptops, motorized scooters, cordless power tools They point to The Battery Network for drop-off locations
Tires Most landfills don’t accept them; trap gases, slow to decompose, can float and harm landfill structure Municipality, auto-parts store, or tire dealer
Hot water tanks Harmful gases, explosion risk. Never in any of their dumpsters Sell, scrap, or donate
Inks and resins Damage equipment; stain the interior Recycling centers or retailer drop-off
Railroad ties Treated with harmful wood preservatives Not in their dumpsters
Telephone poles Same treatment problem as railroad ties Not in their dumpsters
Wet paint and lacquers Full or partially full cans of wet paint, including thinners, lacquers, wood stains See the paint section below. Dry latex is a different sentence
Fluorescent bulbs Small amounts of mercury Recycling. They say recycling is required in California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington — their list of states, not a statute we fetched
Freon-bearing appliances Refrigerators, freezers, AC units cannot go in unless a professional removes the Freon Sanitation bulk pickup, or a retailer take-back when you buy a replacement
Household chemical cleaners Chemical cleaners and solvents stay out Empty, rinsed containers may go in; no residual chemicals
Oils, fuels, propane tanks Flammable; they say improper disposal is illegal in most areas Propane company, fire department, or household hazardous-waste collection
Adhesives Glue or epoxy can damage the container and stick debris to the walls They say dispose with regular household trash, not the roll-off
Hazardous waste generally Flammable, corrosive, biohazardous/infectious (including sharps), toxic, reactive — never in dumpsters or landfills, on their page Local municipality or solid-waste agency for a drop-off site

They also file some appliances and electronics under that never-block because of oils, batteries, and circuitry. Refrigerators and freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, water coolers and ice makers, dishwashers and washing machines with digital panels, microwaves, anything with a built-in rechargeable battery or display. E-waste they name: computers, laptops, tablets, TVs, monitors, gaming consoles, phones, stereos, DVD players, CDs/DVDs/VHS, smart-home devices, rechargeable tools, printers and copiers, small appliances with digital controls, rechargeable toothbrushes, vape pens.

That e-waste paragraph is Dumpsters.com being strict. Hometown’s 2022 “what can I put” guide still says TVs, computers, and printers are commonly accepted in most dumpsters, with a per-item recycling fee for large quantities, and a total ban only in some areas. DumpsterBoard’s 2026 guide bans CRT TVs/monitors and says computer towers and laptops “vary by state.” Three national pages. Three answers. Ask for this landfill.

Angi (July 9, 2026) puts batteries, paint, cleaning products, fluorescent bulbs, tires, household cleaners, food waste, and appliances with chemicals on a “commonly prohibited” list, and tells you to ask the company before you rent. Same instruction, fewer rows claimed as universal.


Restricted — varies by market

Dumpsters.com’s “Restricted Materials” block, same URL: depending on location, these may not be allowed. Check the municipality (and, in practice, the hauler) ahead of time.

Mattresses and box springs. Some locations only. If allowed, extra processing fees are common. Angi (July 9, 2026) puts mattresses in the “yes” column of their at-a-glance table. DumpsterBoard 2026: most companies accept them; some charge a surcharge they publish as $25–$50 per mattress; they also name California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island as states with mattress recycling laws that may affect disposal — their claim, not state PDFs on this page. Bagster: mattresses are on the location-specific list. Do not assume the box that took your brother’s mattress will take yours.

Appliances. Dumpsters.com: in some areas you can throw appliances in the roll-off, sometimes with an extra fee. Refrigerators usually can’t. Hot water tanks are in the never-list above, not this paragraph. Hometown (September 29, 2022): a majority of general household appliances are allowed if hazardous fluids and components, like Freon, are removed first. Angi (July 8, 2026, accepted-items article): most small appliances (vacuums, toasters, blenders, coffeemakers) can go; refrigerators, air conditioners, and washers “can’t be put in a dumpster or may need to be properly drained of hazardous fluids first.” Three shades of maybe. The fridge section below is the one that actually matters.

Upholstered furniture. Dumpsters.com: you may be allowed to toss couches; confirm for your area. Angi (July 8, 2026): wood, metal, or plastic furniture is fine; upholstered pieces are the ones some areas restrict.

Electronics. Dumpsters.com: best to avoid; many contain hazardous materials; check the municipality. Their accepted-items page, same day, is narrower on the “usually okay” side: wired keyboards and mice, power cords and chargers, basic speakers and headphones, remotes and game controllers, small gadgets without batteries or screens. Lithium-ion stays out. Hometown is looser (see above). Bagster bans electronics outright.

Tree stumps. Dumpsters.com: may be accepted; size restrictions or extra processing fees per stump. DumpsterBoard: stumps over 12 inches diameter, some companies restrict.

Dirt. Dumpsters.com: some areas allow it. Contaminated dirt cannot — it will pollute landfill soil, on their page. Weight is a different problem; that is the concrete page, not a density table here.

Food waste. Dumpsters.com: often prohibited (rodents, mess). Large amounts: municipal trash or a composting center, not the roll-off. Angi: keep food, beverages, and dirty food containers out. Bagster: food waste is on the unacceptable list, no “often” about it.

Aerosols. Dumpsters.com: empty cans can go. Cans with liquid inside, or not empty, cannot — explosion risk.

Yard debris. Dumpsters.com: usually allowed, sometimes limited; some yard waste (stumps) extra fee; some areas you cannot mix yard debris with other waste and will need a yard-debris dumpster. Angi (July 8, 2026): unless your area prohibits it — leaves, branches, sticks, brush, storm debris. Hometown (Nov 3, 2025) lists yard waste under what can go. Bagster: yard waste is banned in some zips; they tell you to look up the zip. Same product family, different rule.

Event waste. Dumpsters.com: block-party and community-event waste often includes food, which cannot go in large amounts.

Hometown’s November 3, 2025 “typically banned” list is shorter and does not split never vs restricted: bleach and household cleaners, car batteries, ink and resin, asbestos or mold, medical waste, motor oil and automotive fluids, paint / lacquer / varnish / stain, pesticides and herbicides, pool chemicals, rubber tires. Their February 23, 2023 additional-fees article adds Freon-containing appliances, car tires, medication, lawn fertilizers. That is a “typically banned” pile, not a claim that every landfill in the country matches it.


Paint — wet vs dried latex

This is the can in your hand.

Wet paint stays out. Dumpsters.com: full or partially full cans of wet paint cannot go in a dumpster, including paint thinners, lacquers, or wood stains. Angi (July 9, 2026): paint cans, old and new, need a different home; liquid paint, thinner, lacquers, wood stain, and lead-based paint debris stay out. Hometown (September 29, 2022): you cannot throw paint, paint thinners, lacquers, or wood stains in a dumpster, with the exception of latex paints once they are handled as they describe.

Dried latex is the looser sentence — on roll-offs, not on the bag.

Oil-based, stains, thinners, lacquers: still hazardous-waste drop-off on all three pages. Lead paint debris: Angi keeps it out. Do not dry oil-based in the driveway and call it latex.

Bagster does not give you that latex exception. Official FAQ and product-specs page: paint is unacceptable. No wet-vs-dry split on the pages we fetched. If the pile is leftover gallons, the bag is the wrong product even when the volume is small.

Empty, rinsed containers are not the same as a full can. Dumpsters.com says that about household cleaners; it is the same idea. A can that still sloshes is wet paint.


Appliances and Freon — recovery first; the bag bans the category

A fridge is not a dresser. The refrigerant is the problem.

Dumpsters.com, two sentences that both have to stay:

  1. Refrigerators, freezers, and AC units cannot be disposed of in a dumpster unless a professional removes the Freon.
  2. Refrigerators usually can’t go in a dumpster, and hot water tanks are never allowed in a bin.

Their accepted-items page, same day, lists what they call commonly accepted non-hazardous appliances: stoves, ovens and ranges; washers and dryers without digital panels; toasters, blenders, coffee makers; fans, vacuums, space heaters; grills with the propane tank removed. That is not a license to toss the Kenmore from 1994. Digital panels, rechargeable batteries, and refrigerant put you back on the never-list.

Hometown (September 29, 2022): hire an appliance-repair or HVAC pro to remove refrigerant before disposal. They also mention utility “bounty” pickup programs and retailer take-back as their alternatives — not a rate, and not a dumpster.

DumpsterBoard 2026: refrigerators, freezers, AC units, dehumidifiers stay out until Freon is professionally removed. Some haulers then accept the shell for an extra fee they publish as $25–$75. That band is DumpsterBoard’s, not Dumpsters.com’s, not a national Freon tariff. Do not blend it with anything below.

Angi (July 9, 2026) files refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners, washers/dryers, garbage disposals, hot water heaters, and furnaces on the appliances-that-shouldn’t-go list, with a note that the company supplying the new unit may pick up the old one, or the municipality will.

Bagster bans appliances. Period. FAQ: appliances are on the “cannot go” list with paint, oil, batteries, electronics, food waste, railroad ties, tires, medical waste, pesticides, chemicals. Product-specs “unacceptable” list, additionally: water softeners, water heaters. A grill is accepted without the propane tank. Exercise equipment only with electronics removed. Height is 2 feet 6 inches anyway; the fridge does not sit in that sack even if WM wanted it. Specs and the collection window live on Bagster vs dumpster. This page only needs the ban.

If the pile is a fridge, a window AC, or a dehumidifier, the bag is the wrong product. The roll-off might take the shell after recovery, in some markets, sometimes with a fee. Ask. Do not bury the compressor under drywall and hope the driver does not see it.

Hot water tanks: Dumpsters.com, never. Bagster, water heaters are unacceptable. DumpsterBoard 2026: “depends on hauler.” Three answers. Ask.


Bagster vs roll-off — the practical difference

Official WM/Bagster lists vs Dumpsters.com’s roll-off lists, fetched the same day. Not a universal landfill law. Local list still wins.

Bagster is one size: 3 cubic yards / 606 gallons (not 3.3), 3,300 lb, at most 1 cubic yard of heavy materials. That is the product. This table is about what, not how many yards.

Item Bagster (WM FAQ + product-specs) Typical roll-off (Dumpsters.com, labeled as theirs)
Paint Unacceptable. No wet/dry split on the pages we fetched Wet / full cans never. Dry latex: most areas, sealed can in a plastic bag
Oil, fuel, propane, liquids Unacceptable (oil, fuel, propane, liquids) Never
Batteries Unacceptable Never — vehicle and lithium
Fluorescent bulbs / ballasts Unacceptable Never (mercury)
Appliances Banned outright, including water heaters and water softeners Some markets, some appliances, sometimes a fee. Freon recovery first. Hot water tanks never on their list
Electronics Banned outright Restricted. Their “usually okay” set is small, no-battery, no-screen accessories. TVs, computers, lithium devices stay out
Food waste Unacceptable Often prohibited
Railroad ties Unacceptable Never (plus telephone poles)
Tires Unacceptable Never
Medical waste, pesticides, chemicals, asbestos, hot materials Unacceptable Hazardous waste never
Mattresses / textiles Location-specific Restricted; extra fee possible
Yard waste Banned in some zips Usually allowed; some markets limit, separate, or extra-fee stumps
Dirt / sod Location-specific; still inside the 1-yard heavy cap Restricted. Contaminated dirt never. Weight is the other limit
Accepted examples (theirs) Flooring, plywood, tile, bathtub, cabinets, drywall, carpet, roofing shingles, toilets, household junk, wooden/metal furniture, grill without tank Household junk, wooden furniture, brick / asphalt / concrete, construction debris, storm debris. Stoves and non-digital washers/dryers on their accepted-appliances card

The row that actually changes the product: appliances and electronics. Bagster refuses both outright. Many roll-offs take some appliances in some markets. If the pile is a fridge, a washer, or a TV, the bag is wrong even when the volume is under 3 yards.

Both refuse paint, oil, batteries, tires, railroad ties, fluorescent bulbs, food (Bagster always; roll-off often), and hazmat. That overlap is not permission to guess. Ask for the list that applies to this load.

WM’s accepted list also includes construction debris, household junk, and (where the zip allows) yard waste. Product-specs “location-specific” extras: yard waste, brush, shrubs, tree clippings, leaves, mulch, dirt, sod, mattresses, textiles. Enter the zip on their page. This site does not look it up for you.

If a prohibited item is already in the bag: WM will not collect. You are responsible for disposing of the materials. Additional fees may apply. They do not publish a dollar figure for that on the FAQ we fetched. Do not invent one.


What happens if you toss it anyway

Two different bills. Sometimes the truck never moves.

Refused collection / trip fee (the driver can see it). Dumpsters.com’s prohibited-items FAQ, still live: they may not pick up the dumpster until the prohibited item is removed, which will result in a failed trip fee. Their trip-fee article (updated August 4, 2026): pickup trip fees happen when the driver can’t safely haul — debris above the rim, excess weight, prohibited materials inside, blocked access. Hazardous items in the dumpster: fee charged, on their scenario table. Their published trip-fee band on that URL: $195 to $350. Same band is on their fees page. That is Dumpsters.com’s dry-run number. It is not a landfill processing fee, and it is not a national average we mixed with anyone else.

Hometown (February 23, 2023, additional-fees article): throwing prohibited items results in additional fines and fees. They do not put a prohibited-item dollar figure on that URL. Their overflow section is the rim / second-trip problem — that fight lives on overage vs overfill, not as a tariff here.

Landfill prohibited-item fee (they find it at the scale). Dumpsters.com prohibited-items FAQ: if you toss a prohibited, restricted, or hazardous item they don’t know about, you get a prohibited-item fee when it is processed at the landfill, covering the special processing the landfill has to do. Their accepted-items FAQ, same day, same idea: driver notices restricted items → may not take the container until you remove them → trip fee. Landfill finds prohibited items → additional disposal fee, passed on to you. Typical disposal fees range from $25 to $200, charged according to what prohibited item was thrown away. That $25–$200 is Dumpsters.com’s attributed, dated claim on the accepted-items page. It is the one number this page is allowed to carry as their prohibited-item processing band. Do not blend it with the trip fee. Do not blend it with DumpsterBoard.

DumpsterBoard’s 2026 accepted-and-prohibited guide, live: the hauler will likely charge an additional fee, typically $50–$250 depending on the item. In severe cases (hazardous waste), they may refuse to haul until the items are removed, and you could face fines from local authorities. That $50–$250 is DumpsterBoard’s. It sits next to Dumpsters.com’s $25–$200, not inside it. They overlap. They are not the same citation.

Bagster, again: will not collect; you dispose of it; additional fees may apply. No dollar on the official FAQ.

Do not bury a battery under shingles. The driver may catch it (trip fee, you dig it out, they come back). The landfill may catch it (processing fee on a load that already left). Either way you are paying for a can you should have taken to the HHW drop-off on Saturday.

Overage (scale, per extra ton) and overfill (above the rim) are different invoice lines from a prohibited-item fee. Those tables are not reprinted here.


What to ask — this landfill, this load

Do this on the phone, in writing, before the box hits the pad. None of it is a zip widget.

  1. The prohibited list for this landfill. Not “your website’s national page.” The sheet in the service agreement for this zip. Hauler and landfill can disagree; you want the one that will actually reject the truck.
  2. The fridge / freezer / window AC / dehumidifier. Is Freon recovery required first? Will you take the shell after it is tagged? Is there a per-appliance fee? DumpsterBoard’s $25–$75 is their published extra, not your quote.
  3. Paint. Wet cans: no. Dried latex: yes or no here, and do they want kitty litter, a bagged sealed can, or a trip to HHW anyway? Oil-based stays at HHW.
  4. Batteries. Car battery, lithium tool battery, the laptop in the office-cleanout pile. Dumpsters.com: never. Ask where they want them instead.
  5. Mattress / box spring. Allowed, extra fee, or a recycling law in this state? DumpsterBoard’s $25–$50 surcharge is theirs. Angi puts mattresses in the yes column. Get a yes for this market.
  6. Tires. Dumpsters.com never. DumpsterBoard: some haulers accept for $10–$30 per tiretheir figures. Ask before a snow-tire set goes in “because it’s rubber.”
  7. Electronics. TV, computer, printer with toner, anything with a lithium pack. Bagster: no. Roll-off: maybe a keyboard, not a CRT. Confirm.
  8. Yard waste and dirt. Can they mix with household junk, or is this a clean-load / separate-container market? Contaminated dirt?
  9. Food. Estate cleanout with a fridge you already emptied into bags: those bags are food waste. Often no.
  10. Railroad ties, telephone poles, fluorescent tubes, propane tank, the water heater. Name them. “Construction debris” is not a tie treated with creosote.

If the answer is “we’ll see at pickup,” that is not an answer. The trip fee is how you find out.

For items that cannot go: household hazardous-waste collection (municipality or solid-waste agency), retailer take-back (appliances, some paint, some batteries), auto shop (car batteries, tires, oil), e-waste drop-off, or a junk crew that will handle the fridge as labor — that last fork is junk removal vs dumpster, not a brand on this page.


Related


Never vs restricted, one more time

Dumpsters.com will not take vehicle batteries, lithium batteries, tires, hot water tanks, wet paint, railroad ties, fluorescent bulbs, Freon still in the appliance, household chemicals, oils and propane, or hazardous waste — on their never-list, fetched this pass. Mattresses, some appliances, e-waste, dirt, food, and yard waste depend on the market.

Bagster will not take appliances or electronics at all. Paint, oil, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, food, railroad ties, tires, medical waste, pesticides, chemicals. Yard waste, mattresses, dirt, textiles: ask the zip. A grill without the tank is fine. The fridge is not.

If the banned thing is already in the load, the truck may leave (Dumpsters.com trip fee $195–$350, their August 4, 2026 article) or the landfill may bill a processing fee (Dumpsters.com typical $25–$200; DumpsterBoard typical $50–$250). Those are two publishers. They are not averaged. Bagster: will not collect; extra fees may apply.

Ask for the list for this landfill. Name the fridge, the paint, the batteries, and the mattress. Local list wins.


Sources

Fetched August 30, 2026 unless a page carries its own date. Fee bands are those publishers’ figures, shown separately, not a blended national prohibited-item rate.

Dumpsters.com (live page body)

Angi (live page body this pass)

Bagster / WM (official specs)

Hometown Dumpster Rental (live page body)

DumpsterBoard (live page body)

Attempted, not used as a numeric source