What Can’t Go in a Dumpster in Michigan

Published 2026-09-30 by Detroit Dumpster Co

Why the list exists

Most of what comes out of a house or a job site goes straight into one of our containers: furniture, wood, drywall, roofing, carpet, concrete, brick, plaster. Michigan keeps a specific set of things out of landfills because they are hazardous, recyclable by law, or both, and a transfer station will reject a container that has them in it. Here is what stays out and where it goes instead.

The state list: MCL 324.11514

Michigan’s solid waste law says nobody may knowingly deliver to a landfill more than a de minimis amount of yard waste, beverage containers or whole motor-vehicle tires, or medical waste that has not been treated; and never used oil, lead-acid batteries, low-level radioactive waste, regulated hazardous waste, bulk or uncontainerised liquids, sewage, PCBs, or asbestos waste unless the landfill meets the federal asbestos rules. EGLE adds that scrap tires are acceptable once cut in half or shredded, and that used oil has to be recycled.

Yard waste

This one surprises people: brush, leaves and grass have been banned from Michigan landfills since the 1990s. A clean load of green waste goes to a composting or yard-waste site instead, which is why we ask you to keep it out of a mixed construction box where you can. Detroit residents can also drop brush and yard waste free at the DPW yards on Southfield Road and West Davison, Monday to Saturday. Our yard-waste page explains how we split it.

Tires and batteries

Whole tires are barred from every Michigan landfill; a shredded tire is fine, a whole one is not, so they do not go in a roll-off. Lead-acid batteries are barred outright and go back to a retailer or a scrap yard. Rechargeable and lithium batteries are a fire risk in a load and belong at a retailer drop-off too.

Liquids, paint and household chemicals

Bulk liquids and hazardous waste are banned by statute. EGLE lists paints and stains as household hazardous waste: oil-based paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, fuel and propane cylinders go to a household hazardous waste drop-off, and Detroit residents can take them free to 2000 East Ferry on Thursdays from 7:30 to 2 and the fourth Saturday of the month from 8 to 2. Dried-out latex paint is treated as ordinary trash by the suburbs that publish guidance (Warren, for one, says dry it or solidify it with cat litter and leave the lid off). Fluorescent lamps are universal waste for a business and cannot go in a commercial load.

Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners

Anything that still holds refrigerant needs the gas recovered by a certified technician under section 608 of the Clean Air Act before it is scrapped. Our junk removal crew handles the recovery and disposal; a fridge does not go in a dumpster with the gas still in it.

Asbestos

Asbestos waste goes to a landfill only when it has been handled under the federal asbestos rules, sealed and by arrangement, never in a mixed load. Michigan EGLE requires a notification through its MiEnviro Portal at least ten working days before any demolition and before renovations above the thresholds (260 linear feet of pipe, 160 square feet of other material, 35 cubic feet off-component); private residences of four units or fewer are exempt from the federal standard. Older Detroit houses can have asbestos in floor tile, siding, pipe insulation and plaster, so have suspect material tested before a gut renovation.

What the City will not collect either

If you were thinking of skipping the dumpster and using the City service: Detroit’s curbside bulk collection is capped at two cubic yards, with items under 50 pounds and four feet, and will not take concrete, brick, asphalt, shingles, tires and auto parts, metal poles and pipes, tree trunks, hazardous waste, asbestos, lead, liquids or paint. The suburbs are much the same: Warren, Southfield, Ferndale and Dearborn all say building materials stay off the curb. Everything on that list is what a roll-off is for.

What does go in

Household junk, furniture, mattresses, carpet, wood, drywall, plaster, roofing shingles, concrete, brick, tile, siding, windows, cabinets and fixtures. Which is nearly everything. Electronics are not banned from Michigan landfills, though Detroit’s drop-off yards and the suburbs recycle them; call (313) 397-0178 if you are unsure about a specific item and we will tell you before you load it.

Detroit Dumpster Co · Detroit, MI · (313) 397-0178, answered 24/7.