Guides

Practical answers before you load the truck, each with official sources.

• Landfill vs. Transfer Station: Where to Take Your Load
  Transfer stations hold trash for a few hours, then ship it to a landfill. See which site takes a car or pickup load and what convenience centers accept.
• What Not to Take to the Dump (and Where It Goes Instead)
  Paint, batteries, tires, propane tanks and fridges with refrigerant get turned away at most landfills. Here is where each one goes instead.
• How to Secure a Load for the Dump
  Road debris played a role in about 50,000 police-reported crashes a year from 2011 to 2014. How to tarp and strap a pickup or trailer load for the dump.
• How to Dispose of a Mattress
  California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island run mattress recycling programs with free drop-off. Your other options, from bulky pickup to the dump.
• How to Dispose of Old Paint
  PaintCare runs paint drop-off programs in 12 states and DC for cans up to 5 gallons. How to get rid of latex and oil-based paint everywhere else.
• How to Dispose of Old Tires
  About 48 states have scrap tire laws, and many landfills refuse whole tires. Where to take old tires: retailers, recyclers, amnesty days and dumps.
• Where to Take Car Batteries and Household Batteries
  EPA says lithium-ion batteries should never go in trash or recycling bins because they can start fires. Where to take car, lithium and alkaline batteries.
• How to Load a Trailer for the Dump
  Mazda advises putting about 60% of a trailer load toward the front and 10 to 15% of total weight on the tongue. How to load a trailer for the dump.