What Can and Can't Go in a Dumpster in Alabama

Yes — load it

• Household junk and furniture: sofas, tables, beds, mattresses, boxes and general clutter.
• Construction and renovation debris: drywall, lumber, plywood and trim, cabinets, countertops and fixtures, carpet, flooring and tile, packaging and pallets.
• Roofing: shingles, underlayment and general roofing debris, heavy, so mind the weight allowance.
• Concrete, dirt, brick and asphalt — within the weight limits of a smaller box, ideally as a clean load.
• Cardboard and scrap metal.
• Yard waste: tree branches and limbs, leaves and grass clippings, bushes, shrubs and hedge trimmings, soil, sod and mulch, weeds, roots and small stumps — as its own load.
• Small non-hazardous appliances — ask if you are unsure.

Alabama sorts construction waste by type. ADEM defines construction and demolition waste as building materials, packaging and rubble from construction, remodeling, repair or demolition, including masonry, sheet rock, roofing waste, insulation other than asbestos, scrap metal and wood products; uncontaminated concrete, soil, brick, waste asphalt paving, rock and similar materials are excluded (ADEM 335-13-1-.03(30)). A clean load of concrete or brick is a different stream from mixed remodel debris, and keeping it separate helps it get recycled.

What Alabama rules keep out

These are the state rules that matter for a roll-off, and what they mean for your load:

Two common myths. On the rules we read, Alabama has no statewide landfill ban on mattresses, furniture, shingles, drywall, wood or cardboard, so those can go in a roll-off. And we found no state landfill ban on car batteries, appliances, used oil or yard waste; batteries and oil stay out of our boxes under our own no list, appliances go in only if they hold no refrigerant or have been properly prepared, and yard waste goes as its own load.

Our no list, and why

Our own no list: paints and solvents, oils and fuels, tires, batteries, hazardous chemicals, medical waste, gas cylinders, propane tanks and other pressurized tanks, flammable materials, asbestos-containing materials, and refrigerators or appliances containing refrigerant unless properly prepared. Certain items are prohibited for safety and environmental reasons, and several local landfills refuse them too. For a yard waste box, also leave out treated and pressure-treated lumber, plastic containers, fertilizers and chemicals, and household trash mixed with green waste. If you are unsure about something, call (334) 686-0763 before you load it; it is far cheaper than finding out at the facility.

The local rules point the same way. Dothan bars hazardous refuse from any City collection receptacle (§ 82-37), Houston County will not collect batteries, tires or propane tanks, the Henry County Landfill cannot receive treated lumber, electronics, tires, asbestos, oil or paint, and the Coffee County Landfill does not take tires, used oil, or lithium and wet-cell batteries. Banned and refused items stay out of the box.

No — and where it goes instead

Most of these programs are for residents only and run on set days or by appointment, so check with the City or County before you plan around a drop-off.

Appliances and refrigerant

Small non-hazardous appliances can go in a roll-off. Refrigerators, freezers, AC units and other appliances containing refrigerant stay out of our boxes unless they have been properly prepared, so ask first. If you would rather not deal with a fridge or a window unit yourself, our junk removal service takes appliances with the Freon removed and recycles or donates whenever possible.

The curb is limited here too. Dothan's City pickup takes bulk items such as furniture and appliances from homes, one pile per residence. Houston County's household policy does not count appliances as garbage, and Coffee County's garbage definition leaves out household furnishings, carpet, remodeling debris and appliances. Hartford's City landfill does not accept appliances, electronics, shingles, tires, metal or household garbage.

Asbestos in Alabama

ADEM requires a responsible party, whether a contractor, a property owner or a consultant, to submit a 10-day notification to the appropriate agency before disturbing regulated asbestos-containing material or beginning demolition. It applies to every demolition project, with or without asbestos-containing material, and to any renovation that removes at least 260 linear feet, 160 square feet or 35 cubic feet of regulated material. That material must be removed by an ADEM certified asbestos abatement contractor. Privately owned residential buildings of four or fewer units that remain residential are exempt, but not a residential property that is part of a larger project.

ADEM says friable asbestos-containing material must be disposed of as special waste, regardless of amount, and that nonfriable material can usually go as general or construction waste, though it is best to check with the landfill or hauler first. The Henry County Landfill takes no asbestos products. Never put asbestos in a roll-off.

What the local pickups refuse

The town rules line up with the state rules. Dothan's City pickup does not accept construction or demolition debris, tires or commercial waste. Ozark's Public Works page says City crews no longer pick up construction debris, including shingles, drywall, plaster, lumber, concrete, roofing, brick, carpet and pads, toilets and sinks, windows, doors, fencing, insulation, siding or paint. Ashford will not collect construction debris such as scrap lumber, plaster, roofing, concrete, brick, paint cans, dirt and rocks (Ord. 2026-001 § 3F). Enterprise (§ 13-80) and Abbeville (§ 28-13) leave building debris to the owner, and Headland's trash service refuses TVs and monitors, trees, oil, hazardous chemicals and liquid paint.

The counties are the same. Houston County does not count furnishings, carpet, construction or remodeling debris, appliances, batteries, tires or propane tanks as garbage. Geneva County collects household garbage only, with no wood, brick or concrete, and will not pick up contractor debris. Dale County's contractor will not take wood, brick, concrete or construction debris. That mixed pile belongs in a dumpster.

Sorting: clean loads, mixed loads, yard waste and household junk

It pays to sort the way the Alabama rules do. A clean load of concrete, brick, soil or rock is not construction and demolition waste under ADEM's definition, so keep it apart from everything else and within the weight limits of a smaller box. Mixed remodel and tear-out debris, drywall, roofing, wood and scrap metal, is the construction and demolition stream. Yard waste is a third load: our yard waste boxes take branches, leaves, shrubs, soil, sod and small stumps, but not treated lumber, plastic containers, chemicals or household trash mixed in. Household junk from a cleanout is a fourth, and the one most likely to hide a car battery, a can of old oil or a set of tires, so check it before it goes in.

So keep brush in its own load, keep heavy concrete and brick apart, flatten cardboard, and do not mix a household cleanout into a remodel box without telling us. We work with local disposal and recycling facilities whenever possible, and metal, concrete, yard debris, cardboard and certain construction materials may be separated and recycled when appropriate. If you are not sure where something belongs, call before you load it.