What You Cannot Put in a Dumpster in NH and MA
Three sets of rules decide what goes in: state disposal bans, the hauler's own list, and the transfer station the debris ends up at.
Massachusetts disposal bans
MassDEP bans these materials from disposal or transfer for disposal (310 CMR 19.017):
- Asphalt pavement, brick and concrete
- Cathode ray tubes
- Clean gypsum wallboard
- Commercial food material
- Ferrous and non-ferrous metals
- Glass, metal and plastic containers
- Lead acid batteries
- Leaves and yard waste
- Mattresses (since November 1, 2022)
- Recyclable paper, cardboard and paperboard
- Textiles (since November 1, 2022)
- Treated and untreated wood and wood waste (landfills only)
- White goods (large appliances)
- Whole tires (landfills only)
That is why Massachusetts haulers separate concrete, brick, metal, clean drywall and cardboard, and why some charge per item.
Hauler surcharges
The Central Massachusetts price list charges per item: mattress $150, box spring $150, tire $55, truck tire $175, tv $60, computer monitor $60, propane or helium tank $45, freon appliance $70. Its 4- and 6-yard bins take masonry only.
What town stations refuse
- Danbury, NH: bricks, concrete, soil.
- New Boston, NH: asbestos, lead-painted items.
- Newton, NH: household trash, brush and yard waste.
- Marblehead, MA: roofing shingles, dirt, bricks, rocks and cement (solid fill).
- Sudbury, MA: brush, pressure-treated wood.
- Shelby County, AL: automobile batteries, tires.
Never put paint, solvents, fuel, propane tanks, batteries or anything labelled hazardous in a dumpster; towns run separate collections for these. Weight is its own limit: see dumpster weight limits and debris weights.
- 1Materials 25
- 2Heaviest Rock and gravel, 999 lb/yd
- 3Lightest Foam packaging and insulation, 32 lb/yd
- 4Source EPA, 2016
Sources
- MassDEP, Waste Disposal Bans, read 2026-10-20.
- Bin There Dump That, Central Massachusetts rates.
- Town fee schedules linked from each town page.
Questions
Can you put concrete in a dumpster in Massachusetts?
Asphalt pavement, brick and concrete are on MassDEP's waste disposal ban list (310 CMR 19.017), so they cannot go to disposal mixed with trash; haulers take them in separate heavy-debris or masonry containers for recycling.
Can you put a mattress in a dumpster?
Mattresses have been banned from disposal in Massachusetts since November 1, 2022. The published Central Massachusetts price list charges $150 per mattress put in a dumpster.