What Can and Can't Go in a Dumpster in Georgia

Yes — load it

• Household junk and furniture: sofas, tables, boxes, general clutter — and mattresses.
• Construction and renovation debris: wood and lumber, drywall, doors and windows, flooring and carpet, tile, cabinets and countertops, pallets.
• Roofing: asphalt shingles, underlayment and flashing — heavy, so mind the weight allowance.
• Cardboard and packaging.
• Concrete, brick, dirt, asphalt and gravel — in a weight-limited 10 or 15 yard, kept separate.
• Yard debris: branches, shrubs, leaves, soil and sod — ideally in its own load.
• Small non-hazardous appliances.

That list lines up with Georgia's own definitions. EPD Rule 391-3-4-.01(19) defines construction and demolition waste as "waste building materials and rubble resulting from construction, remodeling, repair, and demolition operations", including wood, bricks, metal, concrete, wall board, paper and cardboard. A construction and demolition landfill "also may receive inert waste and yard trimmings" (Rule .01(20)). Yard trimmings means "leaves, brush, grass, clippings, shrub and tree prunings, discarded Christmas trees" and other landscaping matter (Rule .01(93)). We found no Georgia statute or rule that names mattresses.

What Georgia keeps out of landfills

Rule 391-3-4-.04(6)(b) lists the wastes "specifically prohibited from disposal at solid waste disposal facilities in Georgia", and Rule .04(6)(c) says both the generator who throws one out and the facility that accepts it are in violation. That is why we check loads:

Two common myths. Georgia's ban list does not name electronics, mattresses or white goods such as fridges and washers, and we found no Georgia rule banning them from landfills — but refrigerant appliances have their own federal rule (below), and they are on our no list. EPD also says land-clearing debris such as trees, stumps and limbs is not legally yard trimmings, so the yard trimmings restriction does not reach it.

What each landfill takes — and what our boxes refuse

Georgia sorts disposal by facility. An inert waste landfill takes only "earth and earth-like products, concrete, cured asphalt, rock, bricks, yard trimmings, and land clearing debris such as stumps, limbs and leaves" (Rule .06(3)(c)1), and asphalt shingles may be disposed of only in construction and demolition or municipal solid waste landfills (Rule .04(4)(d)). Under Rule .06(3)(a)7, every load we collect must go to a permitted facility authorized for that waste type, and loads must not fall, leak, spill or blow off the truck (Rule .06(3)(a)3).

Our own no list: paints and solvents, hazardous chemicals, oils and fuels, batteries, tires, propane tanks, gas cylinders, medical waste, asbestos-containing materials and refrigerated appliances containing Freon. For a yard waste box, also leave out treated or pressure-treated lumber, plastic planters, fertilizers and chemicals, and bagged household trash. If you are unsure about something, call (470) 407-6185 before you toss it in — it is far cheaper than finding out at the gate.

No — and where it goes instead

CHaRM — the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials — is the City of Atlanta's recycling partner for household hazardous waste. It works by appointment only; call 404-600-6386 to book and to check what it takes. EPD's household hazardous waste page also says homeowners can legally put dried-out solids from these products in the garbage, because garbage trucks are not allowed to pick up liquid waste.

Appliances and refrigerant

We found no Georgia rule banning appliances from landfills, but federal law covers what is inside them. Under 40 CFR 82.155(b), the final processor of a small appliance — "including but not limited to scrap recyclers and landfill operators" — must recover any refrigerant left in it, or verify with a signed statement or contract that the refrigerant has already been recovered. That is why refrigerated appliances containing Freon stay out of our boxes, while small non-hazardous appliances can go in. If you would rather not deal with a fridge or a window unit yourself, our junk removal service takes appliances with Freon properly removed.

Asbestos in Georgia

Under Georgia's rules, asbestos-containing waste is waste with more than 1 percent asbestos by weight (Rule .01(5)). It counts as construction and demolition waste, but it may go only to a landfill "authorized by the Division for acceptance of asbestos containing waste" (Rule .04(8)(b)), sealed in leak-proof containers labeled "Caution - Contains Asbestos Fibers" and covered with at least six inches of non-asbestos material. Vehicles carrying it need an enclosed compartment or a covering, and compaction vehicles may not be used (Rule .04(8)(a)).

EPD requires a notification for all regulated demolition projects whether or not asbestos is present, ten working days ahead, filed through GEOS; any project with 10 or more continuous linear feet or 10 or more square feet of asbestos-containing material needs a project notification and fees; and all regulated asbestos-containing material must be abated before demolition. Residences with four or fewer dwelling units are exempt from the demolition notice unless part of a larger project. EPD's Duty Officer: 404-363-7026. Never put asbestos in a roll-off.

Sorting: construction debris, inert loads, yard waste and household junk

Georgia sorts waste by the facility that takes it, and it pays to sort it the same way. Clean concrete, brick, rock, cured asphalt, dirt, stumps and limbs can go to an inert landfill; add shingles, drywall or trash and it cannot (Rules .06(3)(c)1, .04(4)(d)). Construction and demolition debris — lumber, drywall, shingles, concrete, brick, metal — goes to a construction and demolition landfill. Household junk from a cleanout is a different load again. Yard trimmings are welcome at construction and demolition and inert landfills; EPD restricts them at lined municipal solid waste landfills.

So keep brush and stumps in their own load where you can, keep heavy concrete and brick apart from everything else, and do not mix a household cleanout into a remodel box without telling us. Whenever possible we send metal, concrete, yard waste and wood debris to recycling, depending on local processing availability. If you are not sure where something belongs, call before you load it.