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

Yes — load it

• Household junk and furniture: sofas, tables, chairs, mattresses, boxes and general clutter.
• Construction and renovation debris: wood and lumber, drywall, trim, doors and windows, cabinets, countertops and fixtures, carpet, flooring and tile, pallets and packaging.
• Roofing: shingles and underlayment, which are heavy, so mind the weight allowance.
• Concrete, brick, stone, asphalt and soil — within the weight limits, and only in a 10 or 15 yard.
• Metal, cardboard and recyclable materials — kept together where you can, so they can be recycled.
• Yard waste: tree branches and limbs, leaves and grass clippings, bushes, shrubs and hedge trimmings, soil, sod and mulch, weeds, roots and plants, small stumps.
• Small appliances without refrigerant — ask before you load them.

Sorting pays. Mixed loads are fine, but heavy materials should be discussed with us first, and a mostly heavy load belongs in a smaller dumpster to stay inside the weight allowance. Yard waste does best as its own load. Tell us which you have when you book, and if you are unsure about an item, call us before loading it.

What Pennsylvania law keeps out

Pennsylvania has one disposal ban that matters most for a roll-off, and those items are kept out of our boxes:

Businesses take note: DEP says businesses with 50 or more employees "are not covered under the CDRA and must make their own recycling arrangements." Beyond these, the rules that keep items out of a roll-off around Scranton are facility and program rules, and our own no list. Construction and demolition debris itself is ordinary municipal waste in Pennsylvania: 25 Pa. Code § 271.1 defines it as "Solid waste resulting from the construction or demolition of buildings and other structures, including, but not limited to, wood, plaster, metals, asphaltic substances, bricks, block and unsegregated concrete."

Our no list, and why

Our own no list, as company policy: paint, solvents and oils; fuel and hazardous liquids; tires; batteries; hazardous chemicals; gas cylinders, propane tanks and other pressurized tanks; medical waste; asbestos; and appliances containing refrigerants, which means fridges, freezers and AC units stay out. For a yard waste box, keep out treated or painted wood, pressure-treated lumber, plastic planters, fertilizers or chemicals and bagged household trash too. If you are unsure about something, call (570) 354-0618 before you load it; it is far cheaper than finding out at the facility.

Mattresses are fine in our boxes, though they are bulky, so allow for the space. And do not mix dirt, rock or concrete in with household junk without checking first, because the weight allowances apply.

No — and where it goes instead

Check the program's own list before you go: most are for their own residents, with sign-ups or stickers, and the County event says business disposals are not permitted.

Asbestos and demolition

DEP enforces the federal asbestos NESHAP regulations and says: "Should a project be subject to the NESHAP regulations, a minimum ten-working-day notification of the project is required to be made to DEP." It also says: "DEP does not regulate the removal of ACM from private residences unless the residence is an apartment with five or more units." The Department of Labor and Industry adds that "All individuals who perform asbestos removal must work for a contractor who holds current certification from the Department of Labor and Industry."

The two state pages we read give different notification fees, so we do not quote one; check with DEP before the work starts. Asbestos never goes in our roll-offs. If an older home may have it, have it checked before the tear-out starts.

Covered loads and clean streets

Pennsylvania law says: "No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping" (75 Pa.C.S. § 4903(a)). For loose waste it goes further: "Every load of loose, nonbaled garbage, waste, refuse or rubbish being transported through or within this Commonwealth shall be transported in a vehicle with four solid sides and with a cover or top of a type to prevent any of the load from escaping. The cover or top shall remain tightly in place going to a disposal site. The load shall be no higher than the solid sides of the vehicle" (§ 4903(c.1)). Scranton requires roll-off containers to be tightly tarped or covered at all times during transportation (§ 400-16F), and Old Forge bars hauling garbage in open, unenclosed vehicles (§ 290-4D(2)).

That is why the fill line matters. All debris must remain below the top rim, because overfilled dumpsters cannot be safely transported and may require adjustments before pickup. And keep debris inside the box: in Clarks Summit, a dumpster in the street must be kept covered when not in use and must not be overflowing (Ord. 2015-02 § 104).

Sorting: clean loads, mixed loads, yard waste and household junk

It pays to sort. A clean load of concrete, brick, stone or asphalt is the easiest to recycle and belongs in a smaller box, inside the weight allowance. Mixed remodel and tear-out debris is construction/demolition waste. Yard waste is best as its own load and goes for recycling or composting when possible; Olyphant's page notes that "The landfill will not accept any Grass/Leaves." Household junk from a cleanout is a fourth kind, and the one most likely to hide a car battery, a propane tank or a can of paint.

Businesses in Scranton have one more rule: the City requires businesses to recycle cardboard, office paper, aluminum cans and leaf waste, all private haulers in the City must offer recycling (City Code § 400-33), and recyclables may not be combined with trash (§ 400-34). So keep brush and leaves in their own load, keep heavy concrete and brick apart from everything else, keep metal and cardboard together, and do not mix a household cleanout into a remodel box without telling us. If you are not sure where something belongs, call before you load it.