State disposal rules / North Carolina
NC DEQ · G.S. 130A-309.58(b), 130A-309.70, 18B-1006.1 and related bans
North Carolina rules for construction debris
North Carolina keeps a statewide list of items its landfills may not take. Most are household and automotive items, but two matter on a job site: wooden pallets, which may go to a C&D-only landfill when mixed into construction waste, and fluorescent lights and mercury thermostats, which every C&D landfill must refuse because the state treats all C&D landfills as unlined.
- 1Rule G.S. 130A-309.58(b)
- 2Items named 15
- 3Construction materials 1
- 4Fee pages in state 3
What NC DEQ lists
The 15 entries below are copied from NC DEQ, Items Banned from Disposal in Landfills (no update date printed); 1 of them are construction materials. Construction materials: 1; Recyclables and packaging: 3; Batteries, electronics and hazardous items: 7; Yard and food waste: 2; Appliances, tires and bulky items: 2.
| Material or project | Rule |
|---|---|
| Wooden pallets | banned, except mixed into construction waste at a C&D-only landfill |
| Fluorescent lights and mercury-containing thermostats | banned from unlined landfills, which includes every C&D landfill |
| White goods | banned |
| Whole pneumatic scrap tires | banned (G.S. 130A-309.58(b)) |
| Lead-acid batteries | banned (G.S. 130A-309.70) |
| Used oil | banned |
| Antifreeze | banned |
| Motor vehicle oil filters | banned |
| Yard trash | banned except at landfills approved for it |
| Aluminum cans | banned |
| Beverage containers required to be recycled | banned (G.S. 18B-1006.1) |
| Narrow-neck rigid plastic containers | banned (motor oil and pesticide containers exempt) |
| Oyster shells | banned |
| Discarded computer equipment | banned (mice and keyboards excluded since March 16, 2015) |
| Discarded televisions | banned |
Source: NC DEQ, Items Banned from Disposal in Landfills, G.S. 130A-309.58(b), 130A-309.70, 18B-1006.1 and related bans; read 2026-10-21. The agency's current text governs.
How the rule is applied
- All North Carolina C&D landfills are considered unlined, so the fluorescent-light and thermostat ban applies to every one of them.
- Wooden pallets mixed into construction waste may be landfilled at a landfill permitted only for construction and demolition debris.
- County landfills add North Carolina's $2 a ton solid waste disposal tax to their per-ton rates; several schedules on this site print it separately.
The debris these rules touch, by weight
A loose cubic yard of pallets and crates weighs 169 lb, appliances weighs 145 lb, mixed yard waste weighs 250 lb and glass bottles weighs 380 lb. None of them would push a level-full 20-yard past the 4-ton low end of Republic Services' allowance. One 8-ft pickup bed holds about 2.5 cubic yards, or 423 lb of pallets and crates.
Disposal fees in North Carolina on this site
Forsyth County charges $15 per pickup load; Wilson County charges $43 per ton; Henderson County charges $70 per ton (loads of 320 lb or less $10). For one 8-ft pickup bed of mixed debris that runs from $15 in Forsyth County to $42 in Henderson County.
Other states: Massachusetts · Vermont · New Hampshire · California · Wisconsin · Florida. To size the container itself, use the dumpster sizer.
This page summarises NC DEQ's published text as read on 2026-10-21. It is not legal advice; local ordinances, haulers and facilities can be stricter, and the agency's current rule governs.