The quick answer
- Tear-off scraps and rolls: take asphalt-saturated felt (tar paper) to a landfill, transfer station or construction and demolition (C&D) site that accepts roofing debris.
- With shingles: many sites take mixed roofing loads together—call about bagging, tarp rules and whether nails must be swept up.
- Recycling: uncommon for felt alone. Some asphalt-shingle recyclers want clean shingles, not felt-heavy mixed trash—ask before you sort.
- Old unknown underlayment: if the layer might contain asbestos (especially in older buildings), stop and get guidance before you rip it out.
What roofing felt is
- Asphalt-saturated felt (often called tar paper): organic or fiberglass mat soaked with asphalt, used as underlayment under shingles or as a weather barrier on sheds.
- Synthetic underlayment: plastic-based rolls that replace traditional felt on many new roofs. Disposal is usually the same path—landfill or C&D—unless a local recycler says otherwise.
- Not the same as shingles. Shingles are the finished weather surface; felt sits underneath. Sites that take shingles often take felt in the same roofing load. See our where to dump shingles guide for shingle-focused tips.
Roofing felt is construction debris, not household recycling. It is bulky when wet, sticky when hot, and often mixed with nails and torn shingles.
Prep and hauling
- Wear gloves and sturdy shoes. Felt tears leave asphalt smears and hidden nails.
- Roll or fold dry pieces and bundle them so they do not sail out of an open truck bed. Tarp the load.
- Sweep nails and staples into a magnetic tray or sealed container—loose fasteners puncture tires and get loads rejected.
- Keep felt out of the rain if you can; waterlogged rolls are heavier and messier at the scale.
- Separate clean metal flashing if your site pays for scrap metal; keep felt with the roofing waste stream.
Small leftover pieces from a shed job might fit in a heavy trash bag if your hauler allows construction scraps. A full tear-off does not belong in the household cart.
Where it can go
- Municipal landfill or transfer station. Ask whether roofing felt and tar paper are accepted as C&D or regular solid waste, and whether they want it bagged or loose.
- Construction and demolition sites. Remodel and roofing loads often go here. Our overview of how to dispose of construction debris explains how those facilities usually work.
- Roofing dumpsters. Contractors often order a C&D dumpster for shingles, felt and wood. Confirm the hauler’s banned-item list first.
- Shingle recyclers. Some plants grind asphalt shingles for road base. Felt mixed into the load may be limited—call about contamination rules before you sort a pile for recycling.
Use Dumpmapper to find a landfill or transfer station near you, then call ahead. Acceptance rules and load prep change by site.
Older felt caution
Most modern asphalt-saturated felt is not treated like asbestos insulation, but older buildings can hide asbestos in some roofing and flooring products. If you are dealing with a very old roof, crumbly paper-like layers you cannot identify, or a building where asbestos roofing was common, do not dry-rip a large area until you know what you have. Local environmental health offices and qualified inspectors can advise on testing. Asbestos-containing materials follow stricter packaging and disposal rules than ordinary roofing felt.
What not to do
- Do not burn roofing felt in a fire pit or burn barrel—asphalt smoke is hazardous and usually illegal.
- Do not dump rolls in woods, ditches or empty lots.
- Do not put a tear-off in curbside recycling with cardboard or metal.
- Do not leave loose nails on the street or in a rental dumpster that bans them uncontained.
- Do not assume a home-store take-back covers used underlayment.
Roofing felt disposal FAQ
Can I put roofing felt in the regular trash?
Small leftover scraps sometimes go in household trash if your hauler allows construction scraps and they are contained. A roof tear-off or full rolls belong at a landfill, transfer station or C&D site—not in the recycling cart.
Is roofing felt recyclable?
Rarely on its own. Some asphalt-shingle recyclers accept clean shingle loads; felt mixed in may be limited. Call before you sort a pile for recycling.
Can roofing felt go with asphalt shingles?
Many landfills and C&D sites take mixed roofing debris in one load. Ask about nails, tarps and whether they want felt separated. Do not assume every shingle recycler wants felt-heavy trash.
Is tar paper the same as roofing felt?
In common use, yes—people call asphalt-saturated felt “tar paper.” Synthetic underlayment is a different product but usually follows the same disposal path unless a local site says otherwise.
Could old roofing felt contain asbestos?
Some older roofing products can. If the underlayment is unidentified on a very old building, stop and get local guidance or testing before a large dry tear-off. Ordinary modern felt is handled as regular C&D debris when accepted.
Will a home store take used roofing felt?
Take-back programs almost never accept used underlayment from a tear-off. Plan on a landfill, transfer station, C&D site or a contractor’s roofing dumpster.
The bottom line
Treat roofing felt as construction debris: bundle or contain it, control nails, and haul it to a landfill, transfer station or C&D site that accepts roofing waste. Recycling options are limited and usually aimed at shingles, not felt alone. Call the site before you drive. If the material is old and unidentified, get advice before a big tear-off.