Landfill Prices: What It Costs to Dump at a Landfill in 2026

The national average price to dump at a landfill

The best single benchmark comes from the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), which surveys landfill gate rates every year. Its 2025 analysis put the unweighted U.S. average for municipal solid waste (regular household and business trash) at $63.48 per ton. Background on the survey is on EREF's tipping fee research page.

An average hides a wide spread, though. Landfills in the Northeast and on the West Coast tend to sit well above it, and many rural and Southern sites sit below it. The rate you pay also depends on whether you're a resident, what's in the load and how the site bills small loads.

Sample landfill prices from published fee schedules

These are standard trash rates taken straight from each operator's own posted schedule. They show the realistic range, not a full survey.

Prices checked October 2026. Fees change, often at the start of a fiscal year, and the scale house has the final word. Call ahead before you load up.

Waste Management (WM) landfill prices

WM is a private company that runs many landfills, and it does not use one national price list. Some WM sites post a facility-specific "Service and Fee Schedule" as a PDF, while others say nothing about rates online. Dumpmapper isn't affiliated with WM. The figures below are copied from schedules WM itself publishes.

• Lockwood Landfill, Storey County, NV (effective Jan. 26, 2026): private-party trash costs $27.48 per uncompacted cubic yard, $52.20 for a standard small pickup bed and $74.74 for a large pickup bed. Commercial trash is $92.60 a ton. (Lockwood Landfill fee schedule (PDF))
• Redwood Landfill, Novato, CA (effective October 2025): residents pay $55 per car, SUV or pickup load up to 1,000 lb, or $141.41 a ton for general debris. (Redwood Landfill fee schedule (PDF))
• Guadalupe Recycling & Disposal Facility, San Jose, CA (effective July 21, 2025): household trash is $129 a ton with a $92 minimum for a car, SUV or pickup. (Guadalupe fee schedule (PDF))

Read the bottom of these sheets carefully. The Lockwood and Guadalupe schedules both add a variable energy surcharge and an 18.9% "Waste Water Management" fee to each load, and Redwood applies those charges to commercial customers. Some WM landfill pages, such as WM's Covel Gardens page in San Antonio, list hours and a phone number but no prices, so you have to call.

How landfills set the price for your load

• By weight. Most landfills weigh you in and out and charge per ton, usually prorated in small increments.
• By vehicle or load size. Many sites charge a flat rate for cars and pickups. Miramar, for example, has a flat rate for vehicles under one ton.
• A minimum charge. Small loads often pay a minimum instead of the per-ton price. That's why a few bags can cost more than you'd guess from the per-ton rate.
• Material type. Construction debris, yard waste, clean concrete and mixed trash are often priced differently. Clean, sorted loads are usually cheaper.
• Per-item fees. Mattresses, tires and appliances with refrigerant usually have their own line.
• Residency. Many public landfills charge residents less, or give them free days or passes.
• Extra fees. Uncovered loads are a common add-on: $50 at Miramar, $35 at TDS and $34 at WM's Guadalupe site. State fees, fuel surcharges and percentage-based fees also show up.

Our guide to reading a posted fee sheet walks through each of these lines.

How to estimate your price to dump

1. Find the nearest landfills and transfer stations on the Dumpmapper map.
2. Pull up each site's posted fee schedule. If there isn't one online, call the scale house.
3. Estimate the weight of your load and the material type.
4. Run the numbers through the dump fee calculator. It uses the EREF average and a sample of published rates to give a low, typical and high estimate.
5. Add any per-item fees and the minimum charge, plus a tarp if your load isn't covered.

For the bigger picture on dump costs, see how much it costs to go to the dump.

Landfill Prices FAQ

How much do landfills charge per ton?

EREF's 2025 survey put the U.S. average at $63.48 a ton for regular trash. Published 2026 rates we checked ranged from $37 a ton in Wake County, North Carolina, to $243.38 a ton for self-haul garbage in King County, Washington.

What is the cheapest way to dump at a landfill?

Use a resident rate or free day if you qualify, sort out recyclables and clean materials that are priced lower, combine trips to avoid paying several minimums, and cover your load so you skip the uncovered-load fee.

Does Waste Management publish landfill prices?

Some WM landfills post a facility-specific fee schedule online, and others don't. There's no single national WM price list, so check that facility's page or call it.

Why was my landfill bill higher than the per-ton rate?

Minimum charges, per-item fees, state fees, fuel or environmental surcharges and percentage-based fees can all be added to the base rate. Ask for an itemized ticket.

Is a transfer station cheaper than a landfill?

Not always. Transfer stations often charge more per ton because the waste has to be hauled again, but they can be closer and may have lower minimums for small loads.

The bottom line

Landfill prices depend on location, material and load size, so the national average is only a starting point. Check the posted schedule for the sites near you, plan around minimums and surcharges, and use the calculator for a quick estimate before you go.

Gear for your dump run

Affiliate disclosure: The links in this section are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Dumpmapper earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. We don't list prices or ratings here because they change. Check them on Amazon.

• AmazonCommercial heavy-duty 16-mil poly tarp: Covers the load so nothing blows out on the highway, and helps you avoid the uncovered-load fee many sites charge.
• Rhino USA 1-inch ratchet tie-down straps (4-pack): Holds the tarp and bulky items like furniture in place in a pickup bed or trailer.
• Amazon Basics 42-gallon 3-mil contractor bags (50 count): Thick bags for bagged-trash rules at drop-off sites, and less mess to clean out of the truck bed.
• Wells Lamont 3300 leather-palm work gloves: Most drop-off sites are self-unload, so protect your hands from splinters, nails and sharp edges.