What Can’t Go in a Dumpster in Michigan

Published 2026-09-30 by Lansing 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. Michigan keeps a specific set of things out of landfills because they are hazardous, compostable, recyclable by law, or both, and the disposal facility that takes our loads will reject a container that has them in it. Here is what stays out and where it goes instead.

What Michigan landfills may not accept

Under MCL 324.11514 no Michigan landfill may knowingly accept medical waste, beverage containers, whole tires or yard waste, the last banned since 1995. Landfills also never take used oil, lead-acid batteries, hazardous waste, bulk liquids, PCBs or asbestos except under the federal NESHAP rules. Tires must be cut or shredded before disposal; Granger’s disposal center takes them at a posted per-tire charge. Lead-acid batteries go back to any retailer for recycling, and used oil to a collection point.

Yard waste

Leaves, grass and small brush cannot go in a landfill in Michigan, which is why a mixed container of yard waste and household junk is a problem. Green waste goes in its own container for composting, or in the City of Lansing’s yard-waste carts and bags on your regular collection day. Stumps, logs and limbs over four feet long or two inches thick are classed as construction debris under state rules and can go with a demolition load. Our yard-waste page explains how we split it.

Paint, chemicals and fluorescent tubes

Oil-based paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, automotive fluids, fluorescent tubes, mercury thermostats and rechargeable batteries go to Ingham County’s household hazardous waste drop-off at 5303 South Cedar Street, behind the Human Services Building, free for county residents on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 6 pm, May to September, 517-887-4312. It does not take business waste, appliances, electronics or asbestos. Latex paint is not accepted either: dry it out with kitty litter or a hardener and the solid can go in the trash.

Electronics

Michigan’s electronics law puts computers, monitors, TVs, printers and tablets into a manufacturer take-back programme, and most retailers and the county run drop-offs. Our junk-removal crew routes electronics to a recycler rather than into a landfill load; if you are loading a container yourself, keep them aside and we will tell you the nearest drop-off.

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, and Michigan’s construction-debris definition excludes appliances anyway. Granger’s disposal center posts a separate charge for Freon items. Our junk removal crew handles the recovery and disposal; a fridge does not go in a dumpster with the gas still in it.

Asbestos

Friable asbestos, the kind that crumbles by hand, never goes in a dumpster. Michigan’s asbestos rules require a thorough inspection before every renovation or demolition and ten working days’ notice to EGLE for demolitions, with private residences of four units or fewer exempt from the notice, and owner and contractor are both liable. Older Lansing houses in Old Town, the Eastside and REO Town can have asbestos in floor tile, siding, pipe insulation and plaster, so have suspect material tested before a gut renovation.

What the City of Lansing will not collect either

If you were thinking of skipping the dumpster and using the City cart: Code § 1060.02 lists buildings or demolition materials, concrete and rocks among the bulk items the City will not take, and bulk pickup is residential only, by appointment on Thursdays, at $33 for the first item and $16.50 for each additional one. Everything else 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. Call (517) 940-8183 if you are unsure about a specific item and we will tell you before you load it.

Lansing Dumpster Co · 220 S Larch St, Lansing, MI 48912 · (517) 940-8183, answered 24/7.