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

Yes — load it

• Household junk and furniture: sofas, tables, chairs, mattresses, boxes and general clutter.
• Construction and renovation debris: drywall, lumber and plywood, trim, doors and windows, cabinets, countertops and vanities, carpet, pad, laminate and tile, pallets and packaging.
• Roofing: shingles, tar paper and underlayment, which are heavy, so mind the weight allowance.
• Concrete, brick, asphalt, rock and dirt — in a 10 or 15 yard only, within its weight limit, ideally as a clean load.
• Cardboard and metal — kept together, so they can be recycled.
• Yard waste: tree branches and limbs, leaves and grass clippings, bushes and hedge trimmings, soil, sod and mulch, weeds, roots and small stumps.
• Small appliances that hold no refrigerant — ask if you are unsure.

Arkansas defines construction and demolition waste as material and debris from building or demolishing any building or structure, including remodeling, additions and roofing, and lists lumber, roofing, bricks, concrete blocks, siding, drywall, masonry, metal, cardboard, concrete, fill and glass (8 CAR § 60-106(15)). Class 4 waste, the bulky, inert kind, includes construction and demolition waste, appliances, furniture, stumps and limbs (§ 60-106(10)). So a clean load of concrete or brick is a different load from a cleanout: tell us which you have when you book.

What Arkansas law keeps out

Arkansas has two landfill bans that matter for a roll-off, and both items are on our no list anyway:

Two common myths. We found no Arkansas landfill ban on appliances, yard waste, electronics or used motor oil, so we do not tell you there is one. Disposal facilities set their own rules, though, and some refuse appliances that still hold Freon, which is why those appliances stay out of our boxes. And asbestos is not banned outright; it has its own handling and disposal rule, below.

Our no list, and why

Our own no list, as company policy: paint, solvents and oils; fuel and other hazardous liquids; tires; batteries; hazardous chemicals; gas cylinders, propane tanks and other pressurized tanks; medical waste; asbestos; and appliances that still hold refrigerant, such as fridges, freezers and AC units, unless the refrigerant has been properly evacuated and the unit tagged. For a yard waste box, also leave out treated and pressure-treated wood, plastic planters, fertilizers, chemicals and bagged trash. If you are unsure about something, call (479) 364-6745 before you load it; it is far cheaper than finding out at the facility.

Electronics such as TVs and computers are not on our no list and we found no state ban, but call before you load them; our junk removal service sends electronics to recycling. Mixed loads matter too: do not mix dirt, rock or concrete in with household junk without checking first, because different rules and weights apply.

No — and where it goes instead

Check the drop-off's own list before you go: the District's sites take no building materials of any kind and no household trash, and each city's yard waste site is for its own residents.

Asbestos in Arkansas

Arkansas's Asbestos Abatement Rule (20 CAR pt. 860) says the owner or operator of a demolition or renovation must have the affected facility thoroughly inspected for asbestos before the work starts (§ 860-105). For any demolition of a facility, even if no asbestos is present, written notice goes to the Division of Environmental Quality at least ten working days before demolition begins (§ 860-201(a)). For renovations, the ten-day notice applies when regulated asbestos-containing material reaches 260 linear feet on pipes, 160 square feet on other components or 35 cubic feet (§ 860-203).

The rule's definition of a facility excludes residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units (§ 860-104(32)(A)), so the notice is not for a typical house. That does not make a home exempt from every asbestos rule: disposal rules can still apply, and asbestos-containing material must be handled and disposed of under the Asbestos Abatement Rule and the federal rules (8 CAR § 60-702). Asbestos never goes in our roll-offs.

Covered loads and clean streets

Arkansas law says: "No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping therefrom" (Ark. Code § 27-35-110(a)). The mandatory cover in the statute is for sand, gravel and rock in open beds (§ 27-35-110(c)); for haulers, the Benton County Solid Waste District requires open loads to be tarped above 35 mph (8 CAR § 110-612(b)(2)(B)), and the Boston Mountain District says the same (§ 9.03(c)). Some cities add their own: Little Flock requires haulers' vehicles to be properly covered and enclosed (§ 5.08.01), and Siloam Springs requires loose material to be fully covered by a tarpaulin (§ 82-38).

That is why the fill line matters. Keep everything below the top rim so the tarp closes safely, and keep debris inside the box: Bentonville makes it unlawful to place refuse, debris or trash on a public street, sidewalk or alley (§ 42-47).

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

It pays to sort the way the rules do. A clean load of concrete, brick, rock or asphalt is the easiest to recycle and belongs in a 10 or 15. Mixed remodel and tear-out debris is construction and demolition waste (8 CAR § 60-106(15)). Yard waste, meaning grass clippings, leaves and shrubbery trimmings in the state definition (§ 60-106(114)), is best as its own load, without bagged trash or treated wood. Household junk from a cleanout is a fourth kind, and the one most likely to hide a car battery, a propane tank or a can of paint.

So keep brush and leaves in their own load, keep heavy concrete and brick apart from everything else, keep cardboard and metal together, and do not mix a household cleanout into a remodel box without telling us. Whenever possible, debris like metal, concrete and yard waste is recycled instead of dumped. If you are not sure where something belongs, call before you load it.