Rules
What Can and Cannot Go in a Dumpster: The Katy List
The accepted list is long and boring. The prohibited list is short, strictly enforced, and the reason loads occasionally get turned away. Here is both.
The short version
If it came out of a building, a yard or a household and it is solid, non-hazardous and not on fire, it can almost certainly go in the container. If it is liquid, toxic, pressurised, or contains asbestos or refrigerant, it cannot.
That covers about ninety-five percent of questions. The rest of this article is the other five percent, which is where the money and the headaches live.
What you can put in
Household and furniture
Sofas, armchairs, beds, mattresses and box springs, tables, wardrobes, bookcases, desks, carpets, rugs, curtains, clothing, linens, toys, books, paperwork, kitchenware, patio furniture, grills with the propane tank removed, exercise equipment and general clutter. There is no mattress surcharge on our containers.
Construction and renovation debris
Drywall, timber, plywood and sheet goods, doors, windows, trim, kitchen cabinets, countertops, tiling, laminate, hardwood and vinyl flooring, insulation, siding, soffit and fascia, guttering, fencing and deck timber, and general non-hazardous building material.
Worth stating plainly because the city will not take any of it: construction debris is explicitly excluded from Katy curbside collection. A roll-off is the route.
Roofing
Asphalt shingle in both three-tab and architectural, metal panels, felt and synthetic underlayment, flashing, drip edge, ridge vents and roof decking. Weight is the constraint here, not acceptability.
Heavy and inert material
Concrete, block, brick, pavers, stone, rubble, ceramic and porcelain tile and clean asphalt. Also foundation spoil and old piers. All fine in our containers, all heavy — these belong in a 10 yard. Note that all of it is on the city's excluded list, so a container is the only route.
Scrap metal
Ductwork, conduit, steel studs, railings, fencing and bicycles. Worth separating if there is enough of it.
What is prohibited
- Liquids of any kind — including paint, stains, varnish, thinners, solvents, oils and fuels
- Asbestos-containing material — common in pre-1980 floor tile, mastic, pipe lagging and textured ceilings. Licensed abatement only
- Tyres
- Batteries — vehicle, marine, lithium and household
- Propane, gas and pressurised cylinders, including "empty" ones
- Refrigerant-charged equipment — see below
- Pesticides, herbicides and fertiliser
- Medical and infectious waste, including sharps
- Hot ashes or anything smouldering
- Contaminated soil
- Fluorescent tubes and older ballasts
The Freon rule
Anything with a compressor — a refrigerator, freezer, window air conditioning unit or dehumidifier — needs the refrigerant professionally evacuated and the unit tagged before any facility will accept it. Washers, dryers, ovens and dishwashers are fine as they are.
In a Katy summer this comes up constantly, because window units and garage fridges fail in the heat and get replaced. If you have an HVAC contractor coming anyway, getting them to evacuate and tag the unit while they are on site is much cheaper than a recovery charge at the gate.
The grey areas people ask about
Paint cans
Liquid paint is prohibited, and it is also on the city's excluded list. Dried-out latex paint is generally acceptable — open the can and let it harden, with cat litter or sand to speed it up, and once it is solid and not pourable it is no longer a liquid. Oil-based paint is hazardous whether wet or dry.
Pallets
Fine in our containers. Worth knowing they are specifically excluded from city curbside collection, which surprises people who have a stack from a delivery.
Treated timber
Acceptable in a mixed load. Not acceptable in a clean-wood container, which matters because fence and deck timber here is nearly always treated.
Mattresses
Perfectly acceptable, no surcharge from us. Bulky rather than heavy.
Brush and yard waste
Acceptable in a mixed container, but often the wrong answer financially — the city collects yard debris weekly within set limits. See the curbside limits guide before you fill a container with limbs.
Dirt and rocks
Acceptable but extremely heavy, and a small container only. Also on the city's excluded list, so if you have soil from landscaping there is no free route for it.
Where the rest has to go
| Material | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Paint, solvents, garden and pool chemicals | A household hazardous waste collection event or facility |
| Used motor oil and antifreeze | Most auto parts retailers take them back |
| Vehicle batteries | Auto parts retailers |
| Tyres | Tyre retailers; whole tyres are banned from landfill disposal in Texas |
| Refrigerators, freezers, window AC units | Licensed technician to evacuate and tag the refrigerant first |
| Electronics at volume | A dedicated e-waste recycler |
| Asbestos | Licensed abatement contractor only |
| Large volumes of debris, city residents | Texas Pride Disposal quote a "pay pile" - worth asking |
What happens if prohibited material turns up
Loads are inspected at the receiving facility. If prohibited material is identified, one of three things happens: the item is pulled and specially handled at cost, the load is rejected and returned, or the facility levies a charge which is passed on.
None of those are good outcomes and all cost more than a phone call would have. If you are looking at something and wondering, that wondering is the signal to ask.
A pre-load checklist
- Walk the pile and pull out anything liquid, pressurised or chemical
- Check for a refrigerant tag on any appliance with a compressor
- If the building predates 1980 and you are disturbing floor tile, mastic or pipe insulation, stop and get it tested
- Set aside scrap metal if there is enough to be worth it
- Keep clean brush out if the city pickup will take it
- Check pockets, drawers, tins and books before furniture goes in
- Load flat and heavy first, bulky on top, and stop at the rail
Need a container in Katy?
Call and describe the job. Three minutes on the phone gets you a size recommendation, a flat rate and a delivery window — and we will tell you if a smaller, cheaper container is the right answer.
Call (346) 279-1335