After doing seasonal yard work or completing a complex home renovation project, many people assume just about anything can go into a roll-off container or dumpster. Don’t be fooled by the people who break the rules; several regulations prohibit the disposal of certain items in commercial roll-off containers. Before you take out the trash, take your time understanding the ins and outs of safe, legal waste disposal in roll-off dumpster containers.

Why Proper Disposal Matters

In the United States, several local, state, and federal governing bodies enforce rules and regulations regarding waste disposal. Illegal dumping laws exist to ensure hazardous materials don’t enter the environment, causing adverse impacts to natural resources, people, and animals.

Roll-off Container Rules: What Items Are Okay to Toss?

Just like your regular trash can or recycling container, roll-off dumpster containers come with strict specifications on what can and cannot be thrown away. Construction projects, home renovations, regular lawn maintenance, and other activities can accumulate a staggering amount of waste, so it’s crucial to ensure all items and materials are discarded correctly.

Of course, a wide variety of items are acceptable for disposal in a roll-off dumpster container. Non-hazardous materials and many household items or debris can be tossed into dumpsters during construction, renovation, and other activities requiring roll-off containers.

Some of the most common articles of waste you’re allowed to place in commercial and residential roll-off containers include:

Boxes
Wood flooring
Water or fire-damaged items
Sinks and some pipes
PVC
Screens
Mattresses
Dried paint cans
Siding
Furniture
Household trash
Construction materials

Your preferred waste disposal company can confirm which items and materials are acceptable to throw away in their roll-off containers. More importantly, your waste disposal company can also tell you what to avoid when utilizing a roll-off dumpster.

7 Items to Keep Out of Your Roll-off Container

Although roll-off dumpsters are an excellent way to keep construction and renovation sites clean, safe, and organized, there are several items to avoid tossing in these kinds of containers. Check with your local waste disposal company to determine the objects and materials acceptable for disposal in a roll-off dumpster. Some everyday items that can’t get trashed in dumpster containers include:

1. Electronics

Old, outdated electronics and electronic systems should definitely be replaced, but they don’t belong in a roll-off dumpster. Hazardous chemicals from batteries and other electrical components can cause severe environmental issues, including degradation of local water resources and ecosystems. Electronic waste, or E-waste, can include items such as:

Computers
VCRs and DVD players
Printers
Televisions
Keyboards
Cables
Circuit boards
Digital and video cameras
Speakers, stereo systems, and audio players
Plus many more

Many states and local jurisdictions go out of their way to establish electronic waste recycling centers, so you can take advantage of those services instead of sticking e-waste in a dumpster container. Find your state’s local e-waste recycling center here.

2. Paints, Stains, Lacquers, and Flammable Solvents

Paints, stains, solvents, lacquers, and other flammable liquids can also contain hazardous ingredients that harm the environment. Dried-out paint cans can go right into a roll-off dumpster, but containers with remaining liquids require extra care before going in a roll-off container.

Allowing flammable liquids to flow freely in a roll-off dumpster is extremely dangerous. One simple trick to dry up these materials quickly is with cat litter. The sand and crystals in cat litter help absorb any remaining liquid in paint and lacquer cans, making it much safer to dispose of these items in your roll-off dumpster container.

3. Gas and Oils

Like paints, stains, and lacquers, gas and oil can be highly flammable. Avoid disposing of lawn mower fluids, chemicals, lubricants, and other petroleum-based products in a roll-off. Your waste disposal company can point you in the right direction of designated gas and oil disposal sites or facilities, ensuring a safe and environmentally-friendly removal of these items.

4. Tires

Dumping old tires in dumpsters and landfills can result in hefty fines for home and business owners. Seek out a tire and auto repair shop in your area that accepts old, used, or damaged tires instead of dumping them in roll-off containers.

5. Light Bulbs and Lighting Systems

Most modern lighting systems are composed of LED light bulbs, which do not contain mercury. However, older systems with traditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), or neon chemicals can wreak havoc on local ecosystems if they break or leak.

Avoid dumping light bulbs in roll-off containers so that dangerous chemicals such as mercury don’t seep into the ground and damage water sources or other natural systems. Instead, work with a designated lighting system disposal service to remove these items safely and sustainably.

6. Batteries

Batteries are another item best kept away from roll-off containers. The chemicals within a battery are considered “heavy metals,” which can have disastrous effects on the environment and people alike.

Heavy metals are poisonous, so putting batteries in a roll-off dumpster is extremely dangerous for humans, animals, and the earth. Find a local battery recycling center or store location that collects batteries instead of throwing them into the roll-off container you are currently utilizing.

7. Recyclables

Roll-off dumpsters aren’t the right place for recyclable items either. Cans, bottles, certain metals, cardboard, and paper should not be placed in roll-off containers. Ask your local recycling company where you can take these items, such as recycling plants or centers, to ensure the materials are sorted correctly in the proper facilities and utilized for future production.

Sorting It All Out

Roll-off containers can be extremely useful during substantial commercial construction projects, residential home renovations, and other activities where significant amounts of waste accumulate. Several different materials and items are acceptable for disposal in roll-off dumpsters, but others can create a hazard.

Work with a professional waste disposal company like WIN Waste Innovations to determine what can and cannot go into your roll-off containers. Waste management specialists should also have all the necessary information for alternative disposal methods for hazardous materials and specialized facilities such as landfills, recycling plants, e-waste recycling centers, tire disposal locations, or acceptable battery drop-off sites.

7 Items to Avoid Discarding in a Roll-off Container