Almost every contamination fee we have ever charged came from someone guessing instead of asking. Here is the list so you do not have to guess.
Generally allowed
- Household junk, furniture, and clothing
- Construction and demolition debris — lumber, drywall, framing, trim
- Cabinetry, countertops, flooring, carpet and pad
- Roofing shingles (tell us up front — it changes the size we recommend)
- Yard waste, brush, and untreated wood
- Concrete, brick, block, and dirt (10 yard only, and tell us first)
- Non-hazardous commercial and office waste
Never allowed
Hazardous and chemical
- Paint, stain, solvents, and thinners
- Motor oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze
- Pesticides, herbicides, and pool chemicals
- Asbestos-containing material of any kind
- Propane tanks and any pressurized cylinder
Electrical and refrigerant
- Appliances containing refrigerant — refrigerators, freezers, window AC units, dehumidifiers
- Batteries of every type, including car batteries
- Fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs
Other
- Tires
- Medical and biohazard waste
- Railroad ties and creosote-treated timber
- Anything actively burning or smoldering
The ones people always ask about
Mattresses. Usually allowed, often with a per-item fee, because landfills charge separately for them. Ask when you book.
Appliances. A stove, dishwasher, or washer is fine. Anything with a compressor and refrigerant needs the refrigerant professionally recovered first — that is federal law, not a policy of ours.
Electronics. TVs and monitors are prohibited in most Texas landfills. Take them to an e-waste event or a retailer take-back program.
Paint. Liquid paint is prohibited. Fully hardened paint in an open can is usually acceptable — add kitty litter or hardener and let it cure.
Treated lumber. Standard pressure-treated deck boards are generally fine. Creosote railroad ties are not.
Why contamination fees exist
They are not a profit center. When a prohibited item shows up in a load, the landfill either charges us a penalty or rejects the whole load, in which case we pay to haul it somewhere else and sort it by hand.
A single car battery can turn a routine disposal into a several-hundred-dollar problem. That is what gets passed through.
Where to take the rest
- Paint and household chemicals — county household hazardous waste collection events, held periodically across East Texas
- Tires — most tire retailers accept them for a small per-tire fee
- Appliances with refrigerant — scrap metal recyclers, which often pay you
- Electronics — retailer take-back programs and municipal e-waste days
- Batteries — auto parts stores take car batteries, usually with a core credit
When in doubt
Call and ask before it goes in the box. Thirty seconds on the phone against a fee you did not plan for is not a close decision, and we would rather answer the question than charge you.
Sizing the rental is the other half of the equation — see the dumpster size guide for matching size to material.
Keep reading
- The Homeowner's Guide to Renting a DumpsterA homeowner's guide to renting a dumpster in East Texas — sizing for cleanouts, remodels, and estates, driveway protection, HOA basics, and what not to toss.
- How Many Porta Potties Do I Need?A practical guide to sizing portable restroom counts for events and construction sites, including OSHA ratios, alcohol adjustments, and ADA requirements.
- Dumpster Size GuideWhich roll-off dumpster size do you need? Dimensions, capacity in pickup loads, weight limits, and the project each size actually fits.