Box the tile instead of bagging it
Ceramic wall and floor tile is heavy for its volume, and thin plastic bags split the moment a corner punches through. Set whole tiles and large shards in a sturdy box, bucket, or crate, and keep the box low in the bed. Grout crumbs and thinset dust should ride in the same rigid container so they do not sift through the truck. Call the site and ask whether ceramic tile is accepted with inert rubble or with construction trash. Those piles are often different. Say ceramic tile, not brick, unless you actually have brick. A search by ZIP code or city is only a lead, and listings can be out of date, so confirm before you make a second trip with a crushed box.
When to stop disturbing the floor
Modern ceramic on a recent thinset bed is a straightforward debris problem once it is already up. Older floors are different. If the tile is a vinyl or asphalt product rather than ceramic, or if the mastic under it is black and brittle and you suspect asbestos, stop. Do not grind, sand, or break that material up to make the load smaller. Leave it in place and hire a licensed professional to test and, if needed, remove it. This article is about ceramic tile you have already lifted that is ordinary fired clay. Do not smash a suspect floor in the driveway to disguise it as rubble. Staff can still see the pieces, and the dust is the hazard you were trying to avoid.
Unload dense boxes where you are told
Tell the scale house you have boxed ceramic tile so they can send you to the correct bay and account for a dense load. Do not bury the boxes under light household bags. At the bay, lift the containers down. Dropping a crate of tile off the tailgate scatters sharp edges across the lane. If a box fails, pick up the shards before you leave. Metal edging and cement-board screws can go with scrap metal if the site or a yard accepts them, kept in their own container. Do not toss tile into a yard-waste pile because a few bits of backer board look fibrous. Cement board is not brush.
Before you go
- Confirm whether the site takes ceramic tile as rubble or as construction trash.
- Pack tiles and shards in boxes or buckets, not thin bags.
- Stop and hire licensed help if the adhesive might be asbestos rather than ordinary thinset.
- Unload the containers in the assigned bay and pick up any spilled shards.
Grinding up an older mastic bed so the tile will fit in household trash bags.
Questions people ask
Can cement backer board go with the tile?
Ask the site. Backer board is a construction material, and some piles want it with the tile while others want it separated. Do not put it in yard waste.
Is a single broken bathroom tile a different load?
A few shards from a repair can often go with household trash if your hauler allows sharp items boxed. A room full of tile is a remodel load, so call ahead.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.