Prohibited and Restricted Items/Materials
Prohibited/Restricted Items and What to do With Them
Although we would love to be able to take every waste material out there, we do have restrictions placed on us by law, disposal facilities, and our equipment’s capability that put limit what we are able to take. It’s not a long list of items, but it’s important we keep these materials out of the waste flow to avoid issues. These items do vary by service type, for example, there are somethings we can take in a Roll-Off that we are not able to take with a Rearload truck. We’ve created separate lists below for each along with some guidance on what you can do with these items and materials.
Prohibited Items/Materials
Prohibited Items and Materials CANNOT be taken. These need to be disposed of or recycled using the proper channels and services. If prohibited items are found prior to loading they will be left onsite. If they are found during unloading they will be reloaded and returned to your location and unfortunately we do not offer free shipping and handling. If we need to return to your location to return a prohibited item it will incur a trip fee. If prohibited items or materials are found in a rearload dumpster or cart and cannot be safely or easily removed by the driver the container will not be serviced and the customer will need to remove the items. We do not like to let containers sit, so please help us do our jobs by not throwing these items or materials away.
Roll-Off Containers
Covered Devices
Due to PA Act 108 (The Covered Device Recycling Act) we are not allowed to dispose Covered Devices, such as TV’s, Computers, Computer Monitors, and Peripherals in the MSW waste stream. These items must be recycled as per PA law. Unfortunately, It’s becoming harder and harder to find places to recommend to recycle these items, but regardless we are not permitted to haul them into a disposal facility. We have found that Best Buy and Staples have electronics recycling programs and encourage you to check them out.
Tires
Most disposal facilities prohibit tires from being disposed of at their site. Not only can they be recycled, but they also cause a variety of issues at the landfill. There are various tire recycling programs, and often your local mechanic will recycle them for your for a small fee.
Large Batteries
Large Batteries are recyclable and are also a fire hazard. Most garbage truck and landfill fires are caused by one of two things, hot ashes or a battery exploding. Please check your battery brand’s website for proper disposal and recycling options.
Refrigerators/Freezers
Refrigerators and Freezers contain refrigerant, which needs to be recycled under the Clean Air Act. Once a refrigerator or freezer is drained of refrigerant by a licensed recycler it can then be scrapped.
Hazardous Materials
Hazardous Materials is a broad term and this list is not exhaustive, but things like motor oil, wet paint, flammable liquids, and items containing mercury are good examples.
Drums/Barrels
Disposal facilities prohibit us from dumping barrels and drums due to not knowing what material was in them. This isn’t our rule, it’s there’s and they will make us reload them and remove them from the landfill if they are in the load.
Ashes
Some disposal facilities prohibit us from hauling loads of ashes regardless of what they are from. Our best advice is don’t burn the stuff, just throw it away.
Rearload Dumpsters & Carts
All Items Listed Under Roll-Off Containers
All the items and materials listed under the Roll-Off Container Prohibited Items in this section also apply to Rearload Dumpsters and Carts. Below are a few additional items/materials we cannot take in Rearloader trucks.
Heavy/Large Volumes of Construction & Demo Debris
Our rearload trucks are not made to process construction debris. Although small scraps of most materials are ok, things like:
- Shingles
- Drywall
- Plaster & Lath
are prohibited from rearload dumpsters and carts. They are hard on the trucks compactor unit, are excessively heavy, and often cause damage to the truck or container.
Clean Fill/Masonry Materials
Materials like rocks, blocks, dirt and concrete are generally good to use as clean fill. These materials are heavy, hard, and non-compactable by our trucks. They can cause damage to the hydraulic system, dent and tear the metal in the unit. They can also lead to an over-weight load, which not only dangerous to drive an overweight truck, but is illegal. If you need to dispose of these materials please consider a Roll-Off container.
Asbestos
Asbestos must be disposed of following certain guidelines and cannot be put in a rearload truck. It doesn’t matter if it is friable or non-friable.
Large Metal/Wood Items
Any item too large for the hopper can be dangerous for our driver and can cause damage to the truck. They aren’t made to cut through hard materials like metal or thick wood. Large metal objects or wooden items should be disposed of in a Roll-Off container.
Railroad Ties of any length are included in this!
Restricted Items/Materials
Unlike Prohibited Items and Materials, Restricted Items and Materials can be taken under certain restrictions and following proper guidelines.
Roll-Off Containers
Clean-Fill and Masonry Materials
We can take materials like rock, block, dirt, and concrete in a Roll-Off container, however there are certain guidelines. For example, the material cannot be contaminated by any kind of hazardous materials (i.g. fuel soaked dirt). There are also restrictions on the amount of the material that can be put in a single load do to the weight/density of the materials. Please consult with us prior to loading the container if you intend to dispose of these types of materials.
Asbestos
We can dispose of both Friable and Non-Friable Asbestos as long as the proper guidelines are followed. Before disposing of Asbestos please speak with us about the proper steps that need to be taken for disposal.
Rearload Dumpsters & Carts
Lumber/Wood
Wood is a restricted item because we can take lumber and wood but there are limits on what the truck is able to process.
When it comes to lumber scraps most small scraps under 12 inches in length of most sized lumber are fine. Railroad ties do not fall into the “most” category; they are prohibited from rearload dumpsters.
Longer pieces of lumber cannot be longer than the container is wide and cannot be greater than a 2x thickness.
There is also a limit to what we can take in volume of lumber at a single time. This is harder to define, but think of it this way: Yes, we can take a single 2×4 no problem. However, an entire dumpster filled with 2x4s isn’t just A 2×4 that the truck has to try to crush and cut through, it’s a bunch of them at once. This requires more pressure and force from the truck and puts more strain on the hydraulics and the metal components. This often leads to damage to the truck and dumpster. If you have large volumes of lumber and wood waste please consider a Roll-Off container.
Ashes
Ashes are listed under Prohibited Materials, but for Rearload Dumpsters and Carts I wanted to relist it as restricted. There are many folks who burn coal and dispose of their coal ash. We can take coal ash is small quantities and having it mixed in with other waste in the truck is not an issue.
However, there are some restrictions: It must be cool, dry, and cannot take up more than 1/3 the capacity of a tipper cart. Or, it must be put in separate buckets that our drivers are able to easily dump by hand into the hopper.
The “COOL” part is a big deal here. Please don’t light our trucks on fire.
Other Dense Materials
Dense materials like kitty litter and yard waste can be taken. However, they can very easily make carts and dumpsters over weight if too much material is placed in them. Please be conscientious of how much dense material you place in your container. Over weight carts and dumpsters can lead to additional charges, or non-services.