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What your dump won't take

Bar chart: share of 50 landfills and transfer stations that refuse each item. Hazardous waste 62%, liquids 24%, ammunition/explosives 20%, dead animals 16%, medical waste/sharps 16%, appliances 10%, tires 8%

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Before you load the truck, it helps to know what the gate attendant will turn away. We read the published “not accepted” and prohibited-materials lists of 50 U.S. landfills and transfer stations and counted only the items each facility refuses outright.

Hazardous waste is refused at 31 of 50 (62%). Liquids come next (12, 24%), then ammunition and explosives (10, 20%), dead animals (8, 16%) and medical waste or sharps (8, 16%). Items a facility takes for an extra fee or in a separate area, such as tires or appliances at many sites, are not counted as refused.

Shares are of facilities with a published list, not of every dump in the U.S. Refused at the dump usually doesn't mean there's nowhere to take it. Paint, chemicals and batteries generally go to a household hazardous waste program instead.

The counts

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Method

Counts only items the facility refuses outright on its own page. Items accepted for a fee or in a separate area (e.g., Sonoma tires/appliances) are not counted. Partial items are removed (e.g., "commercially collected refrigerators", heavy-equipment tires). Duplicate listings are deduped. Snohomish County WA sites (5) count under hazardous waste ("dangerous or moderate-risk waste is not accepted"). Livingston VA counts for hazardous waste + medical waste. Facilities are excluded when the "not accepted" rule restricts customers rather than materials: Berlin CT, Cecil MD, 4 Knox TN convenience centers, Walker Mountain GA. The unnamed FL site is also excluded. The chart shows items refused by 3+ facilities.

Data: nearestdump.com, verified October 2026. Every figure was checked against the facility’s own posted page, linked below. Fees change, so call ahead before you go.

Sources

Facilities (50)

Related: Household hazardous waste drop-off · How to get rid of tires · How to get rid of paint · Verify before you go · All data studies