What can't go in a dumpster or dump trailer in Florida?

Never in the trailer: the short list

Seven kinds of material can't go in a Sunrise dump trailer, and the reasons are mostly legal: disposal facilities won't accept them, and Florida law leaves the liability with whoever generated the waste. This is our list as of October 2026.

• Hazardous waste. Pesticides, pool chemicals, strong cleaners, fuels and anything labeled toxic, corrosive or flammable. Under Florida Statute 403.413 (opens in a new tab), illegally dumping any amount of hazardous waste is a third-degree felony, so facilities screen loads for it.
• Paint and solvents. Liquid paint, stains, thinners and mineral spirits leak through a load and contaminate everything around them. All three counties take household paint free.
• Asbestos. Florida rules keep regulated asbestos out of construction-and-demolition disposal units (FAC 62-701.730 (opens in a new tab)); it needs special packaging and an approved destination. The EPA lists vinyl floor tiles, roofing and siding shingles, textured wall and ceiling paint, and old pipe insulation among the places it may be found, and says exposure happens when the material is disturbed (EPA (opens in a new tab)).
• Medical and biohazard waste. Needles, sharps, blood-soaked material and other biomedical waste have their own disposal channels.
• Propane and other pressurized tanks. Grill tanks, helium tanks and compressed-gas cylinders are a fire and explosion risk once a load is dumped and pushed around.
• Large quantities of tires. Florida's Department of Environmental Protection says anyone hauling more than 25 tires at once must be a registered waste tire collector, and a generator who hands tires to an unregistered hauler stays liable if they're dumped (FDEP (opens in a new tab)).
• Batteries, oil and chemicals. Florida Statute 403.708 (opens in a new tab) bans lead-acid batteries and used oil from landfills, and rechargeable lithium batteries are a fire risk in any load.

If a prohibited item turns up in a trailer, it has to come out before the load can be dumped, and any extra fee it causes falls on the renter. That's why we'd rather you ask first.

Allowed, but ask before you load

Some items are fine in a trailer with a heads-up, because they change the price or need a special destination.

• Refrigerators, freezers and window AC units. Florida bans white goods from landfills (F.S. 403.708), and federal rules make the last facility in the disposal chain recover the refrigerant or verify that it was recovered (EPA (opens in a new tab)). These appliances go to facilities that handle refrigerant and can carry an extra disposal fee. If you'd rather not move one yourself, our furniture and appliance removal crew can take it.
• A few tires. A handful from a garage cleanout is usually workable. Tell us the count, because tires can carry a facility fee.
• Mattresses and box springs. Fine to load, though some facilities charge extra for them.
• TVs, monitors and other electronics. Ask first. Anything with a built-in rechargeable battery (phones, laptops, tablets, cordless tools, vapes) stays out of the trailer.
• Concrete, brick, tile, dirt and roofing shingles. We accept heavy material, but it adds weight fast: a trailer that looks half full can already be past its included weight of 1, 1.5 or 2 tons, depending on size. Ask before you load it, and read dumpster weight limits before a tear-out.

Where each item can go instead (as of October 2026)

Each county runs household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-offs for its residents, but the details differ, and none of them take business waste at the household sites.

Hillsborough County

• HHW events: first Saturday at Sheldon Road (9805 Sheldon Rd, Tampa), second Saturday at South County (13000 US Hwy 41, Gibsonton) and third Saturday at Hillsborough Heights (6209 County Road 579, Seffner). Bring a state-issued photo ID with a Hillsborough address. They take paint (10 one-gallon or 5 five-gallon containers a month), batteries, cleaners, pool and garden chemicals, automotive products, flares and ammunition, and up to five 30-pound propane or helium tanks (Hillsborough HHW (opens in a new tab)).
• Electronics: the County's Community Collection Centers take five intact items per household per month; electronics aren't accepted at HHW events (paint and electronics (opens in a new tab)).
• Tires and appliances: County Solid Waste customers get 12 tires and 10 cubic yards of bulky waste and appliances a year free at those centers. Extra tires cost $13 each without rims or $27 with rims in the 2026–27 fee year (fees (opens in a new tab)).
• Asbestos: accepted only at Southeast County Landfill with special waste approval in advance, at $250 per ton, with special packaging and notification rules.
• Sharps: the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County handles used needles and biomedical waste.
• City residents: people in Tampa and Temple Terrace can use the County HHW events and centers for hazardous waste and electronics.

Pinellas County

• HHW Center (2855 109th Ave N, St. Petersburg) and HHW North (29582 US 19 N, Clearwater, select Saturdays): free for Pinellas households, with your ID scanned. Limits are per vehicle per day: 20 one-gallon and 5 five-gallon containers of paint, stains and solvents; 5 gallons each of oil and antifreeze; rechargeable batteries and one e-bike battery (Pinellas HHW (opens in a new tab)).
• Not taken there: plug-in electronics, propane tanks over one pound and other compressed gas, fire extinguishers, medicine and sharps, and car or boat batteries. Haulers and businesses must use the County's Business Collection Events.
• Tires: up to four per load at the regular fee at the Solid Waste Disposal Complex (3095 114th Ave N, St. Petersburg); five or more are weighed at $210 per ton. Asbestos is by appointment through the County (disposal fees (opens in a new tab)).
• St. Petersburg residents: the City's special pickup takes up to five car batteries, five tires and two empty 20-pound propane tanks free.

Pasco County

• HHW: at West Pasco Resource Recovery (14606 Hays Rd, Spring Hill) and the East Pasco Transfer Station (9626 Handcart Rd, Dade City), for Pasco residents only. Household paint is free up to a daily limit (the County's pages list 20 to 30 gallons a day, so check before a big load), gasoline and diesel up to 10 gallons, and motor oil and antifreeze up to 10 gallons each; household and lead-acid batteries are free, and 20-pound propane tanks cost $5 (Pasco HHW (opens in a new tab)).
• Electronics: $5 for monitors, towers, laptops and TVs up to 35 inches; $10 for larger TVs.
• Not accepted: sharps (use a hospital or clinic sharps exchange), prescription drugs (sheriff and police drop boxes), ammunition, explosives, fireworks and acetylene cylinders.
• Appliances and tires: refrigerators and AC units are $3 each; car and pickup tires $2, truck tires $10.

Counties sometimes run short free tire drop-off windows for residents (Pinellas and Pasco both held one in fall 2026), so check your county's event calendar before you haul tires (Pinellas County (opens in a new tab), Pasco County (opens in a new tab)).

Why the rules matter to you

Florida's illegal dumping law (F.S. 403.413) makes it a third-degree felony to dump more than 500 pounds or 100 cubic feet of waste, any amount for a commercial purpose, or any hazardous waste. Your trailer load goes to a permitted disposal facility, and those facilities check what arrives. Keeping prohibited items out is what keeps a load from being rejected and keeps surprise fees off your bill.

Not sure about something?

Call or text (656) 216-9704 before it goes in the load and we'll tell you straight. For furniture, appliances and the rest of a cleanout, see our dumpster rentals, or let our crew do the lifting with junk removal. For what your city will take at the curb, see the bulk trash pickup rules for every Tampa Bay city.