Dump Fees by State: What It Costs to Drop Off Trash in All 50 States [2026]

Dump fees vary dramatically depending on where you live. EREF surveyed 494 active landfills across the country in October 2024 and published average tipping fees for each state and region. The Northeast pays the most at $80.67 per ton on average, while the South Central region (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) pays the least at $44.87 per ton.

The following table shows the average dump fee per ton in every state where EREF collected data, sorted from most expensive to least expensive. States marked with an asterisk (*) had data collected from landfills representing over 50% of that state's total disposal capacity.

The most expensive states for dump fees are concentrated in the Northeast and Pacific regions. Alaska tops the EREF list at $124.25 per ton, driven by remote operations and high transportation costs. Massachusetts follows at $122.63 per ton according to BioCycle analysis, then Minnesota at $119.69, and Vermont at $116.46.

The Northeast region averages $80.67 per ton across all surveyed landfills, per EREF. States like Maine ($110.91), New Hampshire ($110.46), and Pennsylvania ($85.45) all exceed the national average by significant margins.

Hawaii presents a special case. Hawaii County's tip fee rate is $128 per ton according to the county's Department of Environmental Management — and with limited landfill space on the islands, Honolulu has even explored shipping trash off-island, per Civil Beat reporting.

The high variation within some states is also notable. Washington state averages roughly $73 per ton statewide, but individual facilities range from $46 per ton in Yakima County to $256.89 at the Blue Mountain Transfer Station, according to Washington Department of Ecology data.

The least expensive states for dump fees are in the South Central and southeastern regions. Kansas has the lowest average at $34.78 per ton, followed closely by Nebraska at $34.34 per ton, per EREF data.

Other states under $45 per ton include:

• •Mississippi: $31.90/ton
• •North Carolina: $39.71/ton
• •Alabama: $38.78/ton
• •Texas: $42.56/ton
• •Indiana: $43.56/ton

These low rates reflect abundant landfill capacity and lower operating costs. The South Central region (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) averages just $44.87 per ton — roughly half the Northeast average, according to EREF.

However, low per-ton rates don't always mean low total cost for residents. Many of these facilities still charge minimum gate fees of $15 to $30 for small loads, which means dropping off a single mattress or couch costs the same as dropping off several hundred pounds of mixed waste.

EREF breaks the country into five regions for tipping fee analysis. Here is how average dump fees compare across regions in 2024.

The per-ton tipping fee is what landfill operators charge waste haulers and self-haul customers to dispose of municipal solid waste. But the number on the gate sign rarely tells the full story.

A typical dump fee covers:

• •Disposal in a lined landfill cell
• •Daily soil cover application
• •Leachate collection and treatment
• •Methane gas monitoring and capture
• •Environmental compliance and regulatory reporting
• •Post-closure monitoring (landfills must be monitored for 30 years after closing)

What dump fees do not typically include:

• •Environmental surcharges — Waste Management and Waste Connections both add environmental compliance surcharges to commercial accounts, per their published fee disclosures
• •State solid waste surcharges — Illinois, for example, charges landfill operators a separate fee based on volume received, per the Illinois EPA, which operators pass along to customers
• •Uncovered load surcharges — many facilities charge $5 to $20 extra if your load isn't covered or tarped
• •Special waste premiums — mattresses, appliances, tires, and electronics often carry per-item surcharges above the base tipping fee

The per-ton tipping fee is only one part of what a dump run costs. For homeowners hauling their own junk, the total cost includes gate fees, vehicle costs, fuel, and time. Here is a realistic breakdown for a typical self-haul trip with one couch and a mattress (roughly 200-350 pounds combined).

Most landfills and transfer stations charge a minimum fee regardless of how little you bring. This means dropping off a single chair or a few bags of junk costs the same as dropping off several hundred pounds. Here is what minimum dump fees look like at facilities across the country:

• •Yakima County, WA: $12 minimum (any load under ~520 lbs at $46/ton)
• •Addison County, VT: $9 per load for 100 lbs or less; $15 per refrigerator or freezer
• •Snohomish County, WA: $30 for 360 lbs or less; $160/ton for anything over
• •Newton County, GA: $30 minimum covers first 980 lbs; $62/ton above that (as of July 2025)
• •Columbia County, OR: $27.48 minimum for self-haul loads up to 320 lbs
• •Phoenix, AZ: Residents get 1 free ton per year at $55/ton; $55 per ton after that

For most residential customers bringing a few bulky items, the minimum fee — not the per-ton rate — is what you actually pay. A 200-pound couch at a $30-minimum facility costs the same as 980 pounds of mixed debris.

The national average dump fee jumped 10% in 2024 — the largest single-year increase since 2022, according to EREF. Several factors are driving the trend:

• •Shrinking capacity: Total U.S. landfill capacity is forecast to decrease by more than 15% over a five-year period, per the Waste Business Journal via SWEEP Standard. Seven states are expected to run out of landfill space within five years, according to Roadrunner Waste Management.

• •Rising compliance costs: Post-closure monitoring requirements, methane capture regulations, and leachate treatment upgrades all add to operating costs that get passed through as higher tipping fees.

• •Landfill size matters: Large landfills (over 500,000 tons per year) charged an average of $68.82 per ton in 2023, while medium landfills averaged $49.70 and small landfills $58.55, per BioCycle. As small landfills close and waste consolidates into larger regional facilities, average fees trend upward.

• •Waste imports: States with low tipping fees attract waste from higher-fee states. Michigan, for example, has pushed to raise its state surcharge from $0.36 per ton to $5.00 per ton specifically to discourage out-of-state waste imports, according to Bridge Michigan and EGLE.

For homeowners deciding between a self-haul dump run and hiring a junk removal service, the math is closer than most people expect — especially for small loads of 1-3 bulky items.

A self-haul dump run for a couch and mattress typically costs $30 to $80 in direct expenses (minimum gate fee plus any truck rental or gas), plus 1 to 3 hours of your time for loading, driving, waiting in line, unloading, and driving home. Many landfills and transfer stations are only open during weekday business hours, which may require taking time off work.

Curbside junk removal services like Dropcurb charge a flat $79 for pickup, with no trip to the landfill required — the hauler handles disposal. For a single bulky item, the convenience gap is significant: the service comes to you, picks up the item from the curb, and handles everything from there.

The breakeven point shifts when you have a full truckload of mixed junk. At that volume, self-hauling to a facility charging $40 to $60 per ton becomes more cost-effective per pound than any removal service.

Most landfills charge standard per-ton tipping fees for general household waste, but certain items carry additional surcharges or require special handling fees:

• •Mattresses: $10 to $30 surcharge at many facilities. California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have mandatory mattress recycling programs with per-unit fees built in.

• •Appliances with refrigerant (refrigerators, freezers, AC units): $15 to $35 per unit at most facilities. Federal law requires proper refrigerant recovery before disposal. Addison County, VT charges $15 per unit.

• •Tires: $3 to $10 per tire at most landfills. Many facilities limit the number of tires per visit (typically 4-8 for residential customers). Some ban tires entirely.

• •Electronics (TVs, monitors, computers): Increasingly banned from landfills entirely. Twenty-five states plus D.C. have e-waste disposal laws, per our state-by-state e-waste report. Where accepted, fees range from $10 to $40 per item.

• •Construction and demolition debris: Often charged at a higher per-ton rate than household waste. Nash County, NC charges $64 per ton for C&D waste versus standard MSW rates.

Dump fees are set at the county or facility level, not the state level, which is why they vary so much even within the same state. Here is how to find the exact fee for your nearest landfill or transfer station.

State-level tipping fee data in this report comes from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) 2024 Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Tipping Fees, which surveyed 494 active MSW landfills across the United States in October 2024. Supplementary state data comes from BioCycle's ongoing landfill tipping fee analysis. Individual facility rates were collected directly from county and municipal government websites between January and March 2026. Regional averages are EREF's unweighted averages (each landfill counted equally regardless of tonnage). All figures represent fees for mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal; fees for specialized waste streams (C&D, hazardous waste, medical waste) are typically higher.