We have a page about what we can take. This is the other half, and it matters more, because the answer determines whether the job goes smoothly or stops halfway.
None of this is us being difficult. Licensed facilities refuse these materials from haulers, so anybody who agrees to take them is either driving further than they charged you for or fly-tipping.
Household chemicals
Paint, thinners, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, motor oil, antifreeze. These go to the Household Hazardous Waste area at Baseline, 5601 SE 66th St, and the county takes them from residents free.
Latex paint is the common exception people ask about. Dried out completely — lid off, in a ventilated place, or with hardener stirred in — it stops being a liquid and can go in normal waste. Wet, it cannot.
Anything under pressure
- Propane cylinders, including the twenty-pound grill sort.
- Oxygen and acetylene bottles.
- Fire extinguishers.
- Aerosols in quantity.
Asbestos, and why we stop
Marion County Solid Waste no longer accepts asbestos at all. In houses around here it turns up as old floor tile, pipe wrap and some ceiling texture, mostly in anything built before about 1980.
If we suspect it, we stop and say so. It needs a licensed abatement contractor, and disturbing it to get a trailer loaded is the kind of shortcut that harms the people in the house afterwards.
The county's own refused list
Beyond asbestos, Solid Waste will not accept boats, concrete, contaminated soil, dirt, rocks, sod, power poles, RVs or mobile homes.
Concrete and clean fill are the ones that catch renovation projects. They have their own private disposal routes and their own pricing, and finding that out after the slab is broken up is an expensive way to learn it.
Things we can take that people assume we cannot
- Televisions and monitors — electronics are accepted at the Baseline recycling centre.
- Fridges and freezers. The refrigerant has to be recovered properly, which is a handling step and sometimes a fee, not a refusal.
- Mattresses, though they often carry their own disposal charge.
- Tyres, in small numbers, with a per-tyre fee.
If you are unsure about something, send a photo before the day. A ninety-second answer beforehand beats an awkward conversation with a loaded trailer in the driveway.