What Can & Can't Go In a Dumpster
Most household and construction debris is fine. A short list of hazardous materials isn't, and a few specific items carry an added fee rather than being excluded outright.
- Household trash and general cleanout debris
- Furniture and mattresses (fee applies to mattresses)
- Construction debris — framing, drywall, flooring
- Roofing shingles (weight-priced separately)
- Yard waste and brush (ask about discounted brush-only container)
- Appliances (fee applies to items with refrigerant)
- Paints, stains, and lacquers (dry latex paint OK if bagged)
- Motor oil and other petroleum products
- Asbestos-containing materials
- Lead-acid batteries (car batteries, etc.)
- Lithium-ion batteries — banned from disposal statewide (RSA 149-M:27, II) as of July 1, 2025 — see NHDES's disposal ban guidance for drop-off options
- Flammable fuels
Items With an Added Fee
These items are accepted but priced separately rather than included in a standard load, since they require special handling or disposal: tires (with or without rims), mattresses and box springs, refrigerators and other appliances containing refrigerant, air conditioners, propane tanks, televisions and other screens, dehumidifiers, hot tubs, and lithium-ion batteries. Ask your location for current pricing on these when you book.
Heavy Materials: Weight Matters More Than Volume
Concrete, dirt, brick, and stone are accepted only in limited quantities in a standard container — these materials are dense enough that a standard weight allowance fills up long before the container looks full. If your project is mostly aggregate or heavy debris, ask about a dedicated heavy-debris container priced specifically for that material. The same logic applies to roofing shingles: a container full of shingles can weigh three to four times what the same container weighs full of typical debris, so we size the weight allowance around your actual roof rather than a generic default.
Not Sure About a Specific Item?
Call your nearest location before you load it — it's a quick conversation, and it's the easiest way to avoid an overage charge or a container that can't be hauled as loaded. See our full FAQ for more on pricing, weight limits, and what happens if a container comes in over its allowance.