What can you put in a rented dumpster?

You can put a lot of things in a rented dumpster. Most municipalities allow trash from: your yard, construction dumpsters, demolition, and regular household waste. However, there is a long list of prohibited items that cannot be accepted in a residential roll off rental without penalties. You must contact your local government’s hazardous waste recovery program. Some hazardous waste items like Televisions, Tires, Freezers, Electronics and more can be accepted for an additional fee and require special loading so the item can be sorted out, avoid landfill charges, and go to the appropriate disposal facility.

Hazardous waste & what can you put in a dumpster?

Learn how to know what can you put in a dumpster, and how to properly dispose of hazardous waste that is prohibited. Protecting the environment is a very serious when using a roll off container.

In the Austin Texas area, the government allows: municipal solid waste, construction trash removal, residential demolition debris, yard garbage, but not hazardous waste. The same thing stands for most cities in the United States because of regulations from the EPA Hazardous Waste program.

However, they will not allow hazardous waste to be disposed of in a roll off dumpster rental with miscellaneous non-hazardous waste. The disposal and recycling sites charge extra for each and every hazardous waste item found in your dumpster. Hazardous waste items have to be removed from other garbage in your roll off container rental, and disposed of properly.

Proper disposal costs trash removal companies a lot of money, whereas private residents can often take their hazardous materials directly to government sites for a reduced fee or even for no fee at all (example Austin Resource Recovery).

These CANNOT be accepted:

Chemicals, solvents, oil, fuels, herbicides, pesticides, asbestos, radioactive, highly flammable, explosives, bio-medical, liquid wastes, Freon, toxic or hazardous material, fluorescent light ballasts, batteries, fuel tanks, nuclear or fissile materials. Below is a section on Austin Resource Recovery who can help you with proper disposal of the items in this paragraph.

What CAN you put in a dumpster?

These items require a special loading procedure into the garbage dumpster. A separate fee per item is charged by the disposal center. Some of the pricing packages we offer include acceptance of a certain number of these items. If you require more items to be disposed of, you must notify us so that we can arrange for proper disposal and avoid fines and penalties for which you would be liable.

PC Monitor, Propane Tank, Water Heater, AC, Small Freezer, $50 each
Tires and Televisions $30 each
Cans of Paint $10 each
Mattress or Box Sprongs $50 each

Hazardous Waste Legal Disclaimer:

If any of the waste items listed above (but not limited to) are placed in the trash dumpster, and the Austin landfill, Austin dump, or recycling site rejects the material, you are responsible for all costs associated with the rejection of the entire load. You agree to reimburse us for these costs. Also, you agree to be responsible for all fines imposed by local, state of Texas, or federal agencies due to the illegal dumping of hazardous material. At our own choosing, we reserve the right to not accept any hazardous waste. If any of these items are found while dumping the load (and you did not initially arrange with us to put those items in the dumpster service with proper loading) there is an additional charge per item at double the rate mentioned above.

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Who will accept your hazardous waste (often for free)?

The City of Austin accepts hazardous waste (that private Austin dumpster rental companies cannot accept) at the following facility. You can call (512) 974-4373 for Austin Resource Recovery and take the items to: 3810 Todd Lane (Near I35 and 290). Their hours are M-F 8 AM to 4 PM. Call ahead, ARR occasionally changes their days and hours of service.

Here is who can help you dispose of the above hazardous waste:

Antifreeze – Contact Austin Resource Recovery
Ammunition – Contact Texas Department of Public Safety
Asbestos – Removal by licensed contractor required
Automobile Batteries – Vehicle service centers like AutoZone or the dealership.
Biological or Nuclear Waste – Contact original supplier
Controlled substances – Same as medications (below)
Explosives or Fireworks – Contact Texas Department of Public Safety
Florescent Lights – Contact Austin Resource Recovery
Medical Waste – Place in leak-proof, puncture-proof container and place in your regular household trash (not the dumpster rental)
Unused Medications – Remove labels, put in a secondary container and place in household trash (not the dumpster rental)
Waste Motor Oil – Contact Austin Resource Recovery
Paint – Contact Austin Resource Recovery

What else can you put in a dumpster?

Check out our list of ACCEPTABLE materials and how to determine the weight of garbage here. All of the materials listed listed on the weight of materials page are considered non-hazardous and can usually be put in a dumpster when loaded to the proper weight.

At Dumposaurus two of our core values are “protect and preserve the blessing” and “think SAFETY first” which means properly disposing or recycling hazardous materials to keep you, our team, the environment, and other people safe.

If you have any questions or concerns about disposing of potentially hazardous waste materials, please call 512-774-5666 before placing it in your roll off container.