Load rules / Accepted & banned material
What goes in a dumpster in Richmond
Most of a cleanout or a demo goes straight in the box. A short list of materials cannot — some by Virginia law, some by facility rule, some by weight. Here is the whole list, plainly.
01 / LOAD RULES
Load it right the first time.
Accepted categories, the Virginia bans, the local facility quirks, and how weight changes the plan.
Goes in the box
The bulk of every rental we run is ordinary material: household contents and furniture, boxed accumulation from garages and attics, renovation debris — drywall, lumber, cabinets, flooring, tile, fixtures — roofing shingles with the weight set in advance, fencing and decking, siding and windows, and yard debris like limbs and brush. Concrete, brick, block, and dirt go in too, but as structured loads in the right box at the right fill line, because density, not volume, is their limit.
Banned by Virginia law: batteries and whole tires
Two state rules follow every load to the landfill gate. Virginia Code § 10.1-1425.1 prohibits placing a used lead-acid battery in mixed municipal solid waste — spent car and equipment batteries must go to a battery retailer or wholesaler, a secondary lead smelter, or an authorized collection facility. And under 9VAC20-81-640, tires cannot be landfilled whole in Virginia: they must be split, cut, or shredded before disposal, and a landfill may not store more than 1,000 discarded tires unless its permit expressly allows it. That is the reason roll-off loads containing whole tires are routinely rejected or surcharged. Pull batteries and tires out before you load, and tell us if the job will produce either.
Checked against the Code of Virginia and Virginia Administrative Code, August 2026Handled separately: refrigerant appliances and chemicals
Refrigerators, freezers, and air-conditioning units contain refrigerant and are handled apart from general debris at area facilities — Henrico's public use areas, for example, charge a $20 fee for appliances containing refrigerant. Chemicals, fuels, wet paint, automotive products, sealed containers, and medical waste need a different disposal route than any roll-off. Set those aside, and ask about mattresses, electronics, or any item you are unsure of before it goes over the rail — a two-minute question beats a rejected load.
Local facility quirks worth knowing
The county gates around Richmond publish rules that explain why certain loads end up in our boxes. Chesterfield's convenience centers refuse asbestos and lead, will not take dedicated loads of asphalt and concrete, and list dirt and stumps as prohibited — so clean-fill and heavy demolition debris needs a private outlet. Henrico's public use areas bar material from rental properties, vacant lots, and businesses entirely. When your material or your situation falls outside those programs, that is not a dead end; it is the ordinary case a roll-off rental is built for.
Checked against Henrico and Chesterfield county sources, August 2026Where the load ends up
Loads from our boxes route to permitted regional facilities. Old Dominion Landfill — Republic Services, 2001 Charles City Road in eastern Henrico — accepts municipal solid waste plus construction, demolition, and debris waste, and the region holds four permitted CDD landfills with about 16 million tons of capacity. The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority coordinates waste and recycling programs for Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and the surrounding localities. You do not need to pick a facility; you need a legal load, and this page is the checklist.
Checked against the CVWMA regional solid waste plan, August 2026Dense loads: the fill-line rule
Concrete, dirt, brick, plaster, and shingles reach the truck's weight allowance long before they fill a container. The plan for heavy debris is simple and non-negotiable: the right box — often the 15-yard — a fill line set in the quote, and the heavy fraction named before delivery. Everything else about loading is common sense: keep material under the top rail, spread weight along the floor, and keep the loading path to the rear door clear. Call (804) 568-9721 with the material list and we will set the terms to match it.
One uncertain item can hold a whole load. Ask first — it takes two minutes.
Dial (804) 568-9721 →02 / MATERIALS FAQ
Material questions, answered.
Batteries, tires, chemicals, and heavy debris under Virginia rules.
Can car batteries go in a dumpster in Virginia?
No. Virginia Code § 10.1-1425.1 prohibits placing a used lead-acid battery in mixed municipal solid waste anywhere in the state. Take it to a battery retailer or wholesaler, a secondary lead smelter, or an authorized collection facility instead — most places that sell batteries take the old one back.
Why do tires get loads rejected or surcharged?
Because Virginia regulation 9VAC20-81-640 bars whole tires from landfill disposal — they must be split, cut, or shredded first, and a landfill cannot store more than 1,000 discarded tires unless its permit allows it. A whole tire buried in your load creates a problem at the gate, so set tires aside and tell us about them before delivery.
What about paint, chemicals, and fuel?
Chemicals, fuels, wet paint, automotive fluids, sealed containers, and medical waste need a different disposal route than a roll-off. Set anything with a chemical label aside and ask when you book. Dried-out latex paint cans and empty containers are a different conversation than liquids — describe what you actually have.
Can I fill a whole dumpster with concrete or dirt?
Not to the rail. Dense material hits the truck’s legal weight at a fraction of the container’s volume, so clean heavy debris runs in a smaller box or under a strict fill line set in the quote. Chesterfield’s county centers refuse dedicated asphalt and concrete loads and prohibit dirt entirely, which is why a structured roll-off load is usually the practical route.