It flies, and it is not wood
Pulled vinyl siding is a plastic clapboard, sometimes with a foam backer, and it will sail out of a truck bed at modest speed. Call the disposal site and ask whether vinyl siding from a re-side is construction debris or household trash. Do not call it lumber, and do not put it in a brush pile. Painted wood trim that came off with the siding is a separate material. If that paint might be old lead paint, stop disturbing it and read the lead-paint rule: do not sand or scrape it, and hire licensed people for removal. Ordinary vinyl panels you have already taken off can be stacked. Search candidate sites by ZIP code or city, and remember listings can be out of date. Confirm before you tie down a tall stack that a site will not accept.
Nails, J-channel, and foam backer
Pull or bend nails flat and put loose nails in a container. A stack of siding with nails sticking out is a hazard in the bed and at the bay. J-channel, starter strip, and undersill are the same plastic family and can be bundled with the panels if the site allows, but they are springy and will uncoil if you do not tape them. Insulated siding with a foam backer should be described that way, because some sites treat foam differently from rigid vinyl. Leave house wrap and felt in their own bundles. They are not siding. Work on a calm day if you can. A dozen loose courses will scatter across the yard the first time the wind lifts a corner.
Bundle short of the cab window
Stack panels until the bundle is still light enough to lift, tape or strap it, and lay it flat rather than standing it like a sail above the rails. A cargo net or straps over the whole stack matter more than one bungee on a corner. At the site, unload in the construction bay. Do not leave a neat stack beside the recycling containers because the plastic looked recyclable. Curbside carts almost never take siding, and a loose panel in a cart will jam. If the attendant refuses foam-backed panels, ask where foam should go and take those bundles with you. Sweep nails out of the bed before the next load.
Before you go
- Ask the site whether vinyl siding is accepted as construction debris.
- Stack panels, tape springy trim, and contain nails in a separate tub.
- Strap the bundles flat so they cannot lift out of an open bed.
- Unload in the assigned bay and take back any foam the site refuses.
Leaving a loose stack of siding untied in an open bed on a windy highway.
Questions people ask
Is aluminum siding the same load?
No. Aluminum is metal and may be scrap. Keep it separate and tell the yard you have aluminum panels, not vinyl.
Can the fiber-cement boards I removed follow the vinyl rules?
No. Fiber cement is heavy and dusty. Box broken pieces and ask the site where cement board belongs before you mix it into the vinyl.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.