The quick answer
- The EPA groups U.S. landfills by the waste they take and the law that covers them. Its list has seven kinds: municipal solid waste, bioreactor, industrial, construction and demolition (C&D), coal combustion residuals (coal ash), hazardous waste and PCB landfills.
- Most are for ordinary, nonhazardous waste. They fall under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), where states do most of the permitting and can set tougher rules.
- Hazardous waste and PCB landfills are separate, with stricter federal rules under RCRA Subtitle C and the Toxic Substances Control Act.
- For a homeowner, two kinds matter: the municipal landfill for household trash, and the C&D landfill for remodeling and demolition debris. The rest mostly serve factories, power plants and licensed waste firms.
How landfills are sorted
When people say “the dump,” they usually mean one site. In practice, the U.S. has several kinds of landfills, built to different standards because the waste going into them carries different risks. A pit full of broken concrete does not need the same protection as one holding factory solvents.
The dividing line is the type of waste. RCRA Subtitle D deals with waste that is not hazardous, like everyday garbage and ordinary factory waste, and the EPA treats state and local governments as the main planners and regulators for it. RCRA Subtitle C sets up a federal “cradle to grave” program for hazardous waste. A third law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), covers PCBs. The seven types below follow the EPA’s own grouping.
1. Municipal solid waste landfills
A municipal solid waste landfill (MSWLF) is what most people picture: the county or regional landfill where garbage trucks go. The EPA defines it as an area of land or an excavation that receives household waste. It may also take commercial waste, nonhazardous sludge, waste from very small businesses that make little hazardous waste, and nonhazardous industrial waste.
The federal rules for these sites are in 40 CFR Part 258. The EPA sums up the main physical requirements as:
- A composite liner, a flexible plastic membrane laid over two feet of compacted clay on the bottom and sides.
- A leachate collection system on top of the liner to drain off the polluted liquid that seeps through the trash. Our guide to what leachate is explains why that liquid matters.
- Frequent compaction and a cover of several inches of soil to hold down odor, litter and pests.
- Groundwater monitoring wells, plus rules for closing the site, caring for it afterward and cleaning up any leaks.
The EPA counted about 1,908 of these landfills in the continental U.S. in 2009. Many have a separate drop-off area for household hazardous waste, since paint, chemicals, motor oil, batteries and pesticides may be banned from the trash pile itself. “Sanitary landfill” is the older, legal name for a site that meets these standards; our guide to what a sanitary landfill is explains how it differs from an open dump.
2. Bioreactor landfills
A bioreactor landfill is a municipal landfill run on purpose to rot faster. Instead of keeping the waste as dry as possible, the operator adds liquid, usually recirculated leachate and sometimes stormwater or wastewater sludge, to help microbes break down food, paper and yard waste.
The EPA describes three versions. An anaerobic bioreactor adds moisture and lets decay happen without oxygen, which makes landfill gas that can be captured for energy. An aerobic one also pumps air into the waste. A hybrid runs aerobic in the upper layers and anaerobic below. The EPA says the key is holding moisture near field capacity, about 35 to 65 percent.
The payoff, according to the EPA, can be waste that stabilizes in years rather than decades, cheaper leachate disposal, more gas for energy and a 15 to 30 percent gain in space as the waste settles. For a sense of how slowly a normal “dry tomb” landfill breaks things down, see our guide to trash decomposition in landfills.
3. Industrial waste landfills
The EPA defines an industrial waste landfill by what it is not: any landfill other than a municipal one, a hazardous waste landfill under Subtitle C or a TSCA landfill. These sites take nonhazardous waste from factories and other businesses, and they include every disposal area at the facility.
Federal minimum standards for them are in 40 CFR Part 257, but the states oversee them and many go further. Some industrial landfills sit on the grounds of the plant that uses them and never take outside waste.
4. Construction and demolition landfills
A C&D landfill is a kind of industrial landfill built only for the debris that comes from building, remodeling and tearing down structures, roads and bridges. The EPA lists the usual materials:
- concrete, bricks and asphalt from roads and roofing shingles
- wood from buildings, metals, glass and plastics
- gypsum, the main part of drywall
- salvaged parts such as doors, windows and plumbing fixtures
- trees, stumps, dirt and rock from clearing land
C&D landfills do not take hazardous waste or industrial waste unless they meet extra standards and hold a permit for it. Materials that contain lead or asbestos fall under separate EPA rules, so an old ceiling or painted trim may need special handling. Because C&D sites are not built for household garbage, many turn away loads mixed with food waste or bagged trash. Before a remodel haul, read how to dispose of construction debris, and see our guides for concrete and drywall.
5. Coal ash (CCR) landfills
Coal combustion residuals, often called coal ash, are what is left after power plants burn coal. The EPA lists fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag and the material left over from scrubbing sulfur out of the exhaust. It counts CCR among the largest types of industrial waste in the country and notes that it can contain mercury, cadmium and arsenic.
A CCR landfill is an industrial landfill used for that ash. The EPA published national disposal rules on April 17, 2015, after major spills near Kingston, Tennessee, and Eden, North Carolina, showed what can go wrong. Under 40 CFR 257.70, a new CCR landfill or expansion needs a composite liner, at least a 30-mil plastic sheet (60-mil if it is HDPE) on top of two feet of compacted soil that lets water through no faster than 1 × 10⁻⁷ cm per second, plus a leachate collection system. Some coal ash is recycled into concrete or wallboard instead of being buried.
6. Hazardous waste landfills
These are Subtitle C facilities used only for hazardous waste, never for ordinary trash. In the EPA’s description, they are built sites where hazardous waste in solid form is buried for good and covered over, and calls the landfill the most common type of hazardous waste disposal facility.
The design rules are stricter than for a municipal landfill. Under 40 CFR 264.301, new units built since 1992 need two or more liners, with a leachate collection system above and between them. The bottom liner is a composite whose lower part is at least 3 feet of compacted soil, and the permit must keep leachate over the liner no deeper than 30 cm (one foot). Many hazardous wastes must also be treated before they can be landfilled at all.
You cannot drive a pickup to one of these. Households with leftover chemicals use a household hazardous waste program, and items like batteries and fluorescent tubes may count as universal waste, which has its own collection system.
7. PCB landfills
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial chemicals once common in electrical equipment. They are regulated under TSCA rather than RCRA, and the EPA lists PCB landfills as their own category. Many PCB decontamination processes do not need EPA approval, but some do. These sites serve utilities and cleanup contractors, not the public.
Side-by-side comparison
| Type | What it takes | Main federal rules | Who usually uses it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal solid waste | Household and commercial trash, some nonhazardous industrial waste | RCRA Subtitle D, 40 CFR 258 | Garbage haulers; residents where the site accepts them |
| Bioreactor | Same as municipal, with liquids added to speed decay | 40 CFR 258 | Same as municipal |
| Industrial | Nonhazardous factory and commercial waste | 40 CFR 257, plus state rules | Businesses, often a single plant |
| Construction and demolition | Concrete, wood, drywall, shingles, metal, land-clearing debris | 40 CFR 257, plus state rules | Contractors; residents at many sites |
| Coal ash (CCR) | Fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, scrubber material | 40 CFR 257 (2015 CCR rule) | Power plants |
| Hazardous waste | Non-liquid hazardous waste, often treated first | RCRA Subtitle C, 40 CFR 264/265 | Licensed waste companies |
| PCB | PCB waste | TSCA | Utilities and cleanup firms |
Whether any site lets the public drive in is set locally, so check before you go.
State names: Texas as an example
States run their own permit programs and often use their own labels, so the sign at the gate may not match the EPA’s terms. Texas is a good example. Its rules at 30 Texas Administrative Code §330.5 sort municipal solid waste sites into numbered types:
- Type I: the standard landfill for municipal solid waste.
- Type IV: may take only brush, construction or demolition waste and rubbish. It may not take household waste or putrescible (rotting) waste.
- Type IAE and Type IVAE: versions of those two that can qualify for an arid exemption from the liner and groundwater-monitoring subchapters, if they take less than 20 tons a day in each unit type (under 40 tons a day in all), show no groundwater contamination and serve a community with no practical alternative, among other conditions.
- Type V: not a landfill but a processing facility, such as a transfer station, shredder, baler or incinerator.
- Type VI and VII: new or unproven ways of managing waste, and land management of sludges.
Other states use classes, letters or plain names. If a listing says “Class III” or “Type IV,” look up what that state’s rules mean before you load the trailer.
Which one should you haul to?
- Bagged household trash, furniture and mixed junk: a municipal landfill or a transfer station that sends waste to one. Our transfer station vs landfill guide compares the two.
- Remodel debris: a C&D landfill if one is nearby, or the municipal landfill’s C&D area. Keep it free of household trash and anything hazardous.
- Paint, chemicals, pesticides and batteries: a household hazardous waste program, not any landfill gate.
- Not sure what a site takes: start with what you can take to the dump, then call the site.
Fees differ by site and by load type; landfill prices explains how gate rates and scale tickets work. To find a landfill, transfer station or drop-off close to you, search the Dumpmapper map (or try dump near me), then phone the site to check its hours and the materials it takes.
Types of landfills FAQ
What are the main types of landfills?
The EPA lists municipal solid waste landfills, bioreactor landfills, industrial waste landfills, construction and demolition (C&D) landfills, coal combustion residual (coal ash) landfills, hazardous waste landfills and PCB landfills.
How many types of landfills are there?
It depends on who is counting. The EPA's list has seven kinds under three laws, while states often use their own numbered types or classes, such as Type I and Type IV in Texas.
Is a sanitary landfill the same as a municipal landfill?
Mostly, yes. A sanitary landfill is one that meets EPA's criteria, and for household trash those criteria are the municipal solid waste landfill rules in 40 CFR Part 258.
What is a Type IV landfill?
In Texas, a Type IV landfill may take only brush, construction or demolition waste and rubbish. It may not accept household waste or putrescible waste. Other states use different labels.
Can I take household trash to a C&D landfill?
Usually not. C&D landfills are built for construction and demolition debris, and many turn away loads mixed with household garbage. Take household trash to a municipal landfill or transfer station.
Where does hazardous waste go?
Business hazardous waste goes to permitted RCRA Subtitle C facilities, which include hazardous waste landfills with double liners. Households should use a household hazardous waste program instead.
The bottom line
The main types of landfills in the U.S. are municipal solid waste (including bioreactor landfills), industrial, construction and demolition, coal ash, hazardous waste and PCB landfills. The first group takes your household trash under Part 258 rules. Industrial, C&D and coal ash sites follow Part 257 and state permits. Hazardous waste and PCB landfills are tightly regulated and closed to the public. For everyday hauling, you will use a municipal landfill, a transfer station or a C&D site, so check which kind you are headed to before you load up.