Salt Lake County, Utah · Guides
What You Can't Put in a Dumpster in Utah
In Utah, a rented dumpster or your regular trash can't take mattresses, tires, appliances with refrigerant or freon, electronics and e-waste, or hazardous materials like paint, chemicals, solvents, fuel, and batteries. Each one is banned for a reason, and each has a proper place to go instead. Rules vary a little by hauler and city, so confirm the details with your dumpster company or local program, but this list holds across most of the state.
Know Before You Toss
The Short List Of What's Banned
These are the items that most Utah dumpster companies and landfills will turn away, and that do not belong in your curbside trash either:
- Mattresses and box springs
- Tires
- Appliances with refrigerant or freon, like fridges, freezers, and AC units
- Electronics and e-waste, like TVs, monitors, and computers
- Hazardous materials, meaning paint, chemicals, solvents, fuel, and batteries
Why These Items Are Banned
Landfills and dumpster companies turn these away for practical and legal reasons. Mattresses trap air, jam compactors, and eat up huge amounts of space, so many Utah landfills refuse them or charge extra. Tires work their way back up through buried trash and collect standing water that breeds mosquitoes, so they are kept out of regular disposal. Appliances with refrigerant hold gases that are not allowed to be released into the air, so they have to be drained by a pro first. Electronics carry lead, mercury, and other metals that should not leach into the ground. And hazardous chemicals can catch fire, react, or poison groundwater, which is why they stay out of the normal waste stream entirely.
How To Handle Each One The Right Way
Every item on the banned list has a real place to go. Here is where each belongs:
- Mattresses and box springs: Spring Back Utah recycles them, often for a small drop-off or pickup fee. Check with them for current pricing.
- Tires: most tire shops will take your old tires for a small recycling fee, and the county holds periodic collection events.
- Refrigerant appliances: the freon has to be professionally recovered first. Some retailers haul away your old unit when they deliver a new one, and scrap yards and appliance recyclers take them once the refrigerant is removed.
- Electronics and e-waste: take TVs, monitors, and computers to an e-waste recycler or an electronics drop-off, not the trash.
- Hazardous materials: paint, chemicals, solvents, fuel, and batteries go to the Salt Lake County household hazardous waste program.
One honest note: Jay's does not haul hazardous materials, so paint, chemicals, fuel, and batteries always need the county program. Everything else on this list, the mattresses, tires, appliances, and electronics, we can take as part of a haul and route to the right recycler for you. See what we handle on our services page.
Common Questions
Utah Dumpster Rules FAQ
Can you put a mattress in a dumpster in Utah?
Usually not. Most Utah dumpster companies and landfills refuse mattresses and box springs because they jam equipment and eat up space. Spring Back Utah recycles them instead, often for a small drop-off or pickup fee, so check with them for current pricing.
Where do I take old paint and chemicals in Salt Lake County?
To the Salt Lake County household hazardous waste program. Paint, solvents, fuel, chemicals, and batteries should never go in a dumpster or your regular trash, because they can catch fire, react, or leach into groundwater. The county program is set up to take them safely.
Can I throw away a refrigerator or a TV?
Not in a dumpster. Fridges, freezers, and AC units hold refrigerant that has to be professionally removed first, and TVs and other electronics are e-waste that goes to an electronics recycler. Many appliance recyclers, scrap yards, and e-waste drop-offs will take these once they are handled the right way.
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Got Junk A Dumpster Won't Take?
Call or text Jay. We haul mattresses, tires, appliances, and electronics the right way. We don't take hazardous materials, which go to the county program.