What Can You Throw Away in a Dumpster?

What can you throw away in a dumpster? If you’ve been asking yourself for a while “How do I get rid of an old refrigerator?” and eyeing on the possibility to take it on your own to your closest dumpster, hold on: get to know your city and also apartment dumpster rules before committing a potential environmental crime. You see, there are rules pertaining to what you can trash away for environmental reasons and the simple act of throwing away something that big and without proper preparation can bring legal trouble; even if you told us “But I know how to pack a dumpster safely, following guidelines!”, it’s not actually that easy. There are some good alternatives and reasons to rent a dumpster instead, for example, so it’s better to play it safe when it comes to waste disposal.

What Can You Throw Away in a Dumpster? — Rules and Regulations

So, what can you throw away in a dumpster? This article will shed some light on the actual waste permitted on local dumpsters, forbidden waste and even some alternatives, if you feel the cards won’t play in your favor. It’ll also give you insight into the reasons why people may need to rent a dumpster in the first place.

This is a non-exhaustive list of what you can throw away in a dumpster:

• Non-hazardous junk, such as homely trash, papers and, you know, the waste you’d find on every wastebasket.
• Most types of furniture are accepted in public dumpsters, although some will only be allowed if pay an additional fee. Before throwing away any kind of furniture, always call your local dumpster service and ask what they accept when it comes to furniture.
• Just as with furniture, household appliances are allowed in dumpsters, but any hazardous fluid or component must be removed. For these cases, it’s better to call a professional first.
• Again, electronics are also accepted in most dumpsters (be sure to call before, though, because in some places this is forbidden), but large quantities of electronics will require that you pay a fee so that they can be recycled as e-waste.
• Construction debris tends to be welcomed too; however, these ones are most likely to require a fee in order to be accepted.
• Organic materials, such as yard waste, and non-organic waste, such as toys and cardboards, are welcome in decent, non-overwhelming quantities.

What CAN’T You Throw Away in a Dumpster?

To sum it up, you can’t dump any kind of hazardous waste, which includes the following:

• Paints.
• Tires (it’s better to send these to be recycled instead).
• Asbestos, pesticides, car fluids, tanks, cleaners, ink, absorbents, and medical waste.
• Batteries.

Rental Dumpster

The best alternative to get rid of appliances or big amounts of waste that public dumpsters wouldn’t otherwise accept is to hire a rental dumpster and let them handle the job. Most of these providers accept all these items and ensure they’re properly disposed of and even recycled according to environmental regulations. In fact, here are some more specific reasons to rent a dumpster:

• Rental dumpster services help you clean your garage and get rid of items you no longer use with their movable containers.
• Rental dumpsters facilitate your spring cleaning and even help you get rid of junk if you’re planning on moving away.
• Rental dumpster services can be used during house renovations; their bins are excellent debris holders.

Again, you also have to discuss with the provider their prices, what they do accept and how you should operate your waste management with them. If their services don’t impress you, or if you also need to get rid of large furniture, electronics or appliances, you can always donate them to charities as well.

Last Considerations

How much does it cost to rent a small Dumpster?

Prices range between $25 and $300, depending on the number of days and dumpster size you require. If you’ll require weekly dumpsters, then the price oscillates around $120-$620, while monthly services call up for $480 and $2,000.

What can you dispose of in a dumpster?

To sum up what we mentioned above, normal junk, furniture, debris, electronics, appliances, organic and non-organic matter.

Can you throw carpet in a dumpster?

Carpets are not accepted on regular garbage pickup days, so, depending on your regulation, either you wait for bulk trash pickup day or rent a dumpster instead.

Bottom Line

Let’s get back to your question at the beginning: “How do I get rid of an old refrigerator?” As you could see, either you call and ask your local public dumpster if it’s possible to throw it away, or hire a dumpster rental service to do it for you (that’s if our reasons to rent a dumpster convinced you). Remember: even if you knew how to pack a dumpster, it’s important that you know your city, community or even apartment dumpster rules before attempting to throw away something that could cost you a large fine. So, what can you throw away in a dumpster? Almost anything (except biohazards), as long as you know your local regulations.