What can you not put in a dumpster rental?
A general-debris roll-off takes non-hazardous, non-liquid solid waste: furniture, construction debris, flooring, cabinetry, household junk. It will not take liquids, hazardous material, tires, batteries, refrigerant appliances, propane tanks or asbestos. Several more depend on your state. Several more materials depend entirely on which state you are in, so check yours before you load.
What is refused everywhere in the country
Some refusals are federal and therefore identical in every state. Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners are covered by EPA Section 608, which requires the refrigerant to be recovered before disposal and makes the last party in the chain hold a signed statement naming who recovered it. Asbestos-containing material is governed by the federal NESHAP rule. Batteries, pesticides, mercury lamps and aerosol cans are universal waste under 40 CFR Part 273.
Others are universal for practical rather than legal reasons. No hauler takes liquids, because they leak through the load and contaminate it. None takes a propane tank, because a sealed pressure vessel in a compacted load is an explosion risk.
What depends entirely on which state you are in
This is where most "prohibited items" lists mislead you by being written as though the answer were national. Massachusetts bans mattresses, textiles, wood, metal, concrete, brick, asphalt, clean gypsum, paper and cardboard, containers, whole tires, white goods, CRTs and leaf and yard waste from disposal. In most other states, a mattress goes in the container for a per-item fee.
So "can I throw a mattress away" has two correct answers and the one that applies to you depends on your address. Check your state before you fill a container with anything on that list.
What can go in
- Accepted
General household junk
Non-hazardous, non-liquid household waste is exactly what a general-debris roll-off is priced for, and it is the cheapest thing to put in one by volume.
Hauler policy Household - Accepted
Furniture, couches and tables
Accepted everywhere as bulky waste. The catch is volume, not permission — one sectional sofa can eat a quarter of a 10 yard container.
Hauler policy Household - Conditional
Drywall and gypsum board
Accepted in general C&D loads in most of the country, but clean gypsum wallboard is banned from disposal in Massachusetts, where it has to be separated for recycling.
Massachusetts: Clean gypsum wallboard is a banned material. Loads containing it can be rejected at the transfer station. (310 CMR 19.017)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Construction debris MA - Conditional
Untreated lumber and wood
Standard C&D material nearly everywhere. Massachusetts bans wood from disposal, so in-state it is separated for processing rather than landfilled.
Massachusetts: Wood is a banned material under the state disposal bans. (310 CMR 19.017)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Construction debris MA - Accepted
Asphalt roofing shingles
Accepted, and often at a dedicated shingle rate because they are heavy and many regions have asphalt recycling markets for them. Tell the hauler it is a roof job when you order — shingle loads are usually priced differently from mixed debris.
Hauler policy Construction debris - Conditional
Cardboard
Physically fine in any container, but Massachusetts bans paper and cardboard from disposal, and many municipalities elsewhere require it separated from a mixed load.
Massachusetts: Paper, including cardboard, is a banned material. (310 CMR 19.017)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Household MA - Accepted
Carpet and padding
Accepted. Roll and tie it — loose carpet wraps around the container walls and stops the load from tipping out cleanly, which is how you end up with a dump-out fee.
Hauler policy Construction debris - Conditional
Fiberglass insulation
Fiberglass and mineral wool are accepted. Vermiculite insulation in a pre-1990 attic is a different question — it may contain asbestos and must be tested before anything touches it.
Hauler policy Construction debris - Conditional
Yard waste, brush and branches
Many haulers take yard waste in a general container; many others require a dedicated green-waste container because the material has a separate compost outlet. Leaf and yard waste is banned from disposal in Massachusetts, and a majority of states have some form of yard-waste landfill restriction.
Massachusetts: Leaf and yard waste is a banned material. (310 CMR 19.017)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Yard and green waste MA - Conditional
Sod, soil and dirt
Accepted, but almost always as a clean dedicated load in a 10 yard container at a dirt-specific rate. Mixed into general debris it fails: soil is roughly a ton per cubic yard, so half a 20 yard box of dirt is already over a typical weight allowance.
Hauler policy Heavy debris - Conditional
Concrete, brick and asphalt
Accepted only as a clean, dedicated load — no rebar-tangled slabs mixed with wood and trash. Concrete is about two tons per cubic yard, which is why haulers cap these containers by depth rather than by rim. Massachusetts bans asphalt pavement, brick and concrete from disposal outright; they go to an aggregate processor instead.
Massachusetts: Asphalt pavement, brick and concrete are banned materials and must be diverted to processing. (310 CMR 19.017)
California: Not banned, but CALGreen requires covered projects to divert at least 65% of non-hazardous C&D debris by weight, and concrete is the easiest material to hit that number with. Expect to document where it went. (CALGreen)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Heavy debris MA, CA - Conditional
Mattresses and box springs
This is the clearest case on the site of a question with a different correct answer depending on where you live. Most haulers take a mattress in a general container and add a per-item charge because mattresses wrap around landfill compactor drums. In Massachusetts they are banned from disposal outright.
Massachusetts: Banned from disposal since November 1, 2022, including any foundation or box spring. The ban has a real exception: a mattress contaminated with mold, bodily fluids, insects, oil or hazardous substances is excluded, so a genuinely soiled mattress can still be disposed of. (310 CMR 19.017)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Household MA
Common mistakes
- Putting a refrigerator in the containerA federal recovery requirement applies, and the load can be rejected at the facility with the return trip billed to you.
- One leaking can of motor oil or paintIt contaminates everything around it and reclassifies the whole load, which is a cleanup bill rather than a surcharge.
- Reading a national prohibited-items list as though it covered your stateIn a ban state, material that is fine elsewhere gets a load rejected at the transfer station.
Sources
- Primary source Appliance Disposal — Section 608 refrigerant management — US Environmental Protection Agency · last reviewed 2026-08-17
- Primary source Universal Waste — 40 CFR Part 273 — US Environmental Protection Agency · last reviewed 2026-08-17
- Primary source Asbestos NESHAP — 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M — US Environmental Protection Agency · last reviewed 2026-08-17
- Primary source MassDEP Waste Disposal Bans — Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection · last reviewed 2026-08-17
mass.gov refuses automated requests from this build environment (HTTP 403). The ban list was read from the publisher’s own guide through a search index and cross-checked against the October 2021 amendment document below.