Guidelines · 5 min read
Most of what comes out of a house or a job site can go in a roll-off. The exceptions are the things Arizona law, federal landfill rules or the disposal sites will not accept — and each of them has somewhere to go instead.
Arizona's statutes name a short list, and federal landfill rules add two more. These are the reasons behind the no list:
| Item | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | A.R.S. 44-1304 | No landfill disposal; motor vehicle tires go to a waste tire collection site |
| Lead-acid batteries | A.R.S. 44-1322 | No landfill disposal; sellers must take used batteries back (44-1323) |
| Used oil | A.R.S. 49-803 | No dumping on land or in sewers outside an approved disposal route |
| Fridges, freezers, window A/C | Federal, 40 CFR Part 82 | Refrigerant must be recovered before final disposal, with a signed statement naming who recovered it |
| Liquids | Federal, 40 CFR 258.28 | No bulk or free liquids in a municipal landfill; the Paint Filter Liquids Test decides |
| Petroleum-contaminated soil | A.R.S. 49-852 | Special waste: needs an Arizona Special Waste ID number and a manifest |
We found no separate Arizona rule on refrigerant appliances or liquids; the federal rules apply. Arizona also runs no household hazardous waste collection of its own — ADEQ leaves that to cities and counties.
The Phoenix transfer stations at 27th Avenue and North Gateway refuse regulated hazardous waste, PCBs, radioactive and infectious waste, commercial quantities of liquids, special waste and friable asbestos. They take non-friable asbestos only with prior approval, and refrigerant appliances in commercial loads only with CFC-removal paperwork. The Glendale Municipal Landfill refuses vehicles, batteries, tires (beyond five free resident tires), asbestos of either kind, septage, petroleum-contaminated soil, industrial process waste, household hazardous waste from commercial haulers, incinerator ash and infectious medical waste. Every load has to be secured from origin to destination, and Phoenix City Code 27-42 wants drums and fuel tanks triple-rinsed and rendered useless.
| Item | Why not | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, solvents, pool and lawn chemicals | Hazardous | Your city's household hazardous waste program — Chandler's Recycling-Solid Waste Collection Center has an HHW zone, and the Glendale landfill takes HHW from households. Phoenix carts and bulk refuse it. |
| Motor oil | A.R.S. 49-803 | Phoenix transfer station recycling areas take under 5 gallons of uncontaminated motor oil per household at a time |
| Car and lead-acid batteries | A.R.S. 44-1322 | Any battery retailer must take it back; Phoenix recycling areas also accept them |
| Tires | A.R.S. 44-1304 | County tire collection sites, including both Phoenix transfer stations — 5 passenger-car tires a year free for Phoenix residents, rims off; the Glendale landfill takes 5 free from residents |
| Fridges, freezers, A/C units | Refrigerant | Phoenix transfer stations, $20 each (one free for residents); Glendale landfill $25 |
| TVs and CRT monitors | Special handling | Phoenix transfer stations, $20 each, two free for residents; commercial loads of CRTs are refused |
| Propane tanks | Explosion risk | The Glendale landfill accepts empty propane tanks |
| Asbestos-containing material | County NESHAP rules | Licensed abatement to a landfill that accepts asbestos waste — see below |
County Rule 370 applies the federal NESHAP rules to every commercial, public, industrial and institutional building and to apartment, townhome and condo complexes of more than four units. A thorough inspection by an AHERA-certified building inspector comes first, with samples to an accredited lab; anything over 1% asbestos counts. All demolition of those buildings needs a NESHAP notification and a $600 fee at least 10 working days before work begins, whether asbestos is found or not. A renovation disturbing 260 linear feet, 160 square feet or 35 cubic feet of regulated material needs one too, at $600 to $1,770. A single owner-occupied parcel with four or fewer detached homes is exempt — but not if it is one of several homes coming down in a larger project, or was ever used commercially. Regulated asbestos is wetted, wrapped, labelled and sent with a waste shipment record to a landfill that accepts it. It never goes in a roll-off.
Concrete, brick, block, dirt, rock and tile are fine — in a 10 or 15 yard of their own, loaded level, because they fill the weight allowance long before the box looks full. Big solid pieces cost more at the gate: Glendale charges $155.58 a ton for items 4 feet long or 2 feet across. Dirt from a spot where fuel or oil was spilled is special waste under state law and cannot go in an ordinary box. If you are not sure about something, call before you load it; it is far cheaper than finding out at the scale.
Talk to a real person
Call (602) 806-8650 with the address and what is going in. A flat price and a delivery window before you hang up.
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From this guide
Yes. Shingles and underlayment are standard roll-off material. Tile and multi-layer roofs are heavy, so they go in a 10 or 20 yard with an eye on the weight allowance.
Not with refrigerant in it — federal rules require the refrigerant to be recovered before disposal. Take it to a Phoenix transfer station ($20, one free for residents) or tell us when you book.
Both are banned from Arizona landfills. Tires go to a county tire collection site — Phoenix residents get five passenger-car tires a year free at the transfer stations — and any battery retailer has to take a used battery back.
It can be refused at the gate or charged as special handling — $50 to $250 at the Phoenix stations — and hazardous material can carry legal penalties. Ask before you load anything you are unsure about.
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